Kenya: Will the Kenya-led police mission in Haiti be replaced?
7 mins read

Kenya: Will the Kenya-led police mission in Haiti be replaced?

Naford0

Before the unique mission becomes operational, it may be replaced by a traditional UN-led operation as a result of the financial crisis.

In October 2023, the United Nations Security Council authorized the Multinational Security Assistance Mission in Haiti following a request for assistance from the country’s government and civil society representatives. Led by Kenya, the 12-month international police mission aims to help Haitian police restore law and order in the face of escalating civil conflict and gang violence that has plagued the country since 2018.

In 2023, homicides, kidnappings and sexual violence increased dramatically in this Caribbean island nation. Between January and May this year, approximately 3,000 people were killed and more than half a million were left homeless as a result of gang violence. Widespread destruction of property and displacement weakened governance and public safety. An estimated 80% of the capital Port-au-Prince is under the control of gangs, and violence has spread to various parts of the country.

In June and July this year, Kenya deployed 400 of the pledged 1,000 police officers. President William Ruto says the remaining 600 are undergoing training and will join soon. The Kenyan contingent makes up 40% of the mission’s 2,500 staff from the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Chad and Jamaica. Jamaica recently sent 20 soldiers and four police officers out of 200 declared workers.

However, as part of these deployments, the United States and Ecuador have proposed replacing the Kenya-led mission with a more traditional UN-led peacekeeping operation. This followed United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Haiti on September 4. While the United States continues to support the existing mission, its proposal is premature. This could negatively impact mission effectiveness and lower the morale of personnel already deployed to Haiti, who will find themselves in limbo during the transition period.

The mission is unique in the history of international peacekeeping operations, which typically involve mainly soldiers and are tasked with helping to manage and resolve armed conflicts. Haiti’s persistent governance problems and escalating gang violence require a form of global intervention that fills the security gap, emphasizing policing rather than a military approach.

Kenya Police officers from various specialized units have undergone rigorous training in anti-gang operations, community-oriented policing and combating illicit trade. The training was in line with UN standards and required significant investment in time and resources by Kenya to plan and coordinate the deployment.

The mission was welcomed in Haiti with a mixture of hope and cynicism. From 2004 to 2017, the UN peacekeeping operation in the country was plagued by allegations of sexual assault and the introduction of cholera, which killed almost 10,000 people. As a result, views and expectations towards the Kenyan police were mixed.

Since Kenyan police arrived in the country, frustration among Haitians has grown over perceived slow progress in the fight against gangsterism. The first deployment came eight months after the UN Security Council gave Kenya permission to lead the mission. The main reasons for the delay were the financial and logistical arrangements required for this complex project.

Although the mission saw some benefits, internal and external challenges hampered preparations for a major international operation.

Internally, the Kenyan Police’s experience in international peacekeeping operations, for example in Somalia, Bosnia, South Sudan and East Timor, is primarily the deployment of individual police officers. The mission to Haiti is the first deployment of coherent police units, which requires specialized training and preparation.

In addition to the logistical and administrative hurdles of police mobilization and training, Kenya faced legal and political obstacles. A court case challenging the legality of the deployment on constitutional and procedural grounds caused delays. Social protests in mid-2024 over internal issues and security threats intensified the debate on whether funds allocated to the Haiti mission could be better used to meet Kenya’s own needs.

External factors also delayed implementations. Many logistical and financial arrangements are still pending, and preparations in Haiti to receive the remaining police officers have not yet been completed, sources said ISS today. For example, the slow construction of barracks is holding up the deployment of the remaining 600 police officers in Kenya. Communication barriers with Haiti’s French-speaking community also created difficulties.

All this means that the mission will soon end its initial one-year period without any actual presence or achievements, which may contribute to the United States and Ecuador proposals to replace it. The UN Security Council is expected to decide on the future of the mission in early October. Anonymous sources believe that the mission could be extended until June 30, 2025, and then transformed into a UN peacekeeping mission for the period from July to September next year.

Funding is undoubtedly a factor driving the proposal. The mission was intended to receive voluntary donations from states in the amount of $600 million per year. However, only USD 85 million has been pledged so far, mainly from the US and Canada. Blinken said the creation of a U.N. peacekeeping force is an option to address funding problems for the Kenya-led mission that stem from its dependence on voluntary contributions.