Officials in Kenya say they are ready to lead a multinational force into Haiti as escalating violence between armed gangs and police is fuelling a humanitarian crisis that has displaced tens of thousands of people.
“At the request of Friends of Haiti Group of Nations, Kenya has accepted to positively consider leading a Multi-National Force to Haiti,” Foreign Minister Alfred Mutua said in a statement on Saturday, adding that “Kenya’s commitment is to deploy a contingent of 1,000 police officers to help train and assist Haitian police restore normalcy in the country and protect strategic installations.”
The Kenya Foreign Minister said his country’s proposed still needs a United Nations Security Council mandate and authorisation from Kenyan authorities.
Earlier this month, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed to the Security Council and major potential contribution countries to act fast to create the conditions for the deployment of multinational force to Haiti.
On Thursday the United States issued a Level 4 (Do Not Travel) Advisory on Haiti, advising its officials and their families as well as non-essential workers to leave the Caribbean nation as soon as possible on commercial flights.
