Almost two years after Haiti urgently appealed for assistance to suppress a rise in gang violence, the population in the country has varying responses to the announcement that hundreds of Kenyan police officers are finally on their way to the troubled nation.
On Monday, in the streets of the capital, Port-au-Prince, some greeted their arrival positively, while others approached the deployment with caution.
Verna Siber, a teacher in Port-au-Prince said, “They have to be everywhere in the country if we are ever going to be free.”
Nathalie François, a nurse, believes that Haiti’s issues should primarily be addressed by its citizens. However, she appreciates any assistance that can provide the security necessary for residents to move around the country and ensure their food security.
For Maxime Josaphat, an electrician in Port-au-Prince, he thinks it took too long for help to arrive. “We have been suffering for four years,” he said.
The Kenyan police will lead a multinational force against the formidable gangs whose deadly violence surged this year. The Haitian National Police, in contrast, is under-resourced and lacks adequate equipment.
According to a U.N. report, the Haitian National Police can deploy only about 4,000 officers at any given time in a country with a population exceeding 11 million. It remains uncertain what initial tasks the Kenyan contingent will undertake.
Nevertheless, they confront violent gangs that dominate 80% of Haiti’s capital, causing over 580,000 people across the nation to become homeless through their relentless neighbourhood plundering aimed at expanding their territory.
The U.N. Security Council states that police contingents from nations such as the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Benin, Chad, and Jamaica will join the Kenyan forces, amounting to a total deployment of 2,500 officers phased in annually at an estimated cost of $600 million.