Sawt Falasteen - Kenya deploys more police officers to control Haiti's gangs

Criminal gangs have long ravaged Haiti, causing strife and instability that has only worsened since early 2024 when they forced then-prime minister Ariel Henry to resign.

The United Nations estimates the armed groups now control 90 percent of the capital Port-au-Prince, where murders, rapes, looting and kidnappings are rampant amid chronic political instability.

To aid overwhelmed Haitian police, the UN Security Council in 2023 approved sending a multinational security mission to the country led by Kenya.

However, the under-equipped, underfunded team -- which has only about 1,000 of the 2,500 officers it expected -- has fallen short of addressing the colossal challenge.

On Monday, 230 Kenyan police officers arrived in Haiti while 100 others ended their mission, a Haitian government source told AFP under condition of anonymity.

At the end of September, the UN Security Council approved development of a more robust anti-gang force in Haiti.

The poorest country in the Americas, Haiti has not held elections in nine years and is currently under a transitional government.

Legislative and presidential elections have been slated for summer 2026.

N.Shalabi--SF-PST