United Nations OKs Kenyan Force to Take on Haiti’s Rampaging Gangs

The UN Security Council on Monday greenlighted the deployment of a Kenyan-led multinational force to combat violent criminal gangs that have overrun the capital. 

"More than just a simple vote, this is in fact an expression of solidarity with a population in distress," Haiti's Foreign Minister Jean Victor Geneus told the council. 

"It's a glimmer of hope for the people that have for too long been suffering."

The vote took place a year after Haiti’s prime minister requested armed international assistance, as it struggled to find a country willing to lead the mission. In July, Kenya pledged 1,000 police officers and the Bahamas offered 150 people, with Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda also participating.

"This mandate is not only about peace and security, but also about the rebuilding of Haiti – its politics, its economic development, and social stability," Kenya's Foreign Affairs Minister Alfred Mutua said late on Monday on social media.

Haiti has long suffered from gang violence, but the current wave exploded following the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. 

In August, a gang shot and killed seven people during a church-led protest against the violence. More than 2,400 people in Haiti were reported killed, and more than 950 kidnapped between Jan. 1 until Aug. 15, the U.N. said.

More than 200,000 Haitians have lost their homes to gang warfare and pillage. 

Most of the weapons used by Haiti's gangs originate in the U.S., officials say.

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said a "robust use of force" is needed to restore order.

Critics of the U.S.-funded international force have noted the Kenyan police reputation for torture and brutality. A coalition of human rights organizations reported 128 extrajudicial executions in Kenya during 2022.

Kenyan forces will face a strong language barrier: Haiti is a French-speaking country, while Bantu languages dominate in Kenya, with a small percentage of the population using English.

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., said Monday night that the security council resolution contains strong accountability provisions that will keep the Kenyan force on the right side of the law. 

“I can assure you the U.S. will engage on these issues very, very aggressively,” she said. “We’ve learned from mistakes of the past.”