Benin Republic has offered to contribute 2,000 troops to a UN-approved Kenyan-led multinational security force that will be deployed to fight gang violence in Haiti.
The U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield revealed this on Monday during a press conference in Georgetown, Guyana.
Recall that the United Nations sanctioned the mission in October, following a request from Haiti’s unelected government a year earlier. According to U.N. estimates, the conflict in Haiti resulted in the deaths of nearly 5,000 individuals last year and displaced approximately 300,000 people from their homes.
Thomas-Greenfield made these remarks during her visit to Guyana, where she led the U.S. delegation to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) summit. She mentioned that she had received news just before embarking on the trip that Benin had offered troops to support the mission.
Thomas-Greenfield stated that she had engaged in discussions with Haiti’s Prime Minister Ariel Henry and other partners regarding the urgent need to deploy the force.
“This mission is key to helping the Haitian National Police restore peace and security, enabling free and fair elections, and alleviating the humanitarian crisis,” Ms Thomas-Greenfield said.
The deployment, scheduled for this month, faced a delay following a January ruling by a Kenyan court that blocked the move. The court contended that the government did not possess the authority to dispatch police officers beyond Kenya’s borders.
However, shortly after the ruling, Kenya’s President William Ruto reassured that the country would proceed with sending the police officers once the necessary paperwork was completed to meet the court’s requirements.
Meanwhile, gang violence in the Caribbean nation has escalated significantly. According to a recent UN report, Haitian gangs were responsible for the deaths of 8,400 individuals last year, marking a staggering 122% increase from the previous year.