Kenya and Haiti signed a security deal Friday that Nairobi hopes will satisfy a domestic court's objections to a plan to send 1,000 police officers to lead a U.N.-supported peacekeeping mission to address gang violence in the restive Caribbean nation.
Kenya first volunteered to send 1,000 police officers to Haiti in response to an appeal from Port-Au-Prince and the United Nations for international support.
Kenya’s High Court blocked the move in January, saying it was unconstitutional and could go forward only if there was a “reciprocal agreement” between the two nations.
At a ceremony in Nairobi Friday, Kenyan President William Ruto, alongside Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry, said the two governments signed a “reciprocal instrument” to allow the deployment to go forward and “discussed the next steps to enable the fast-tracking of the deployment.”
“We believe this is a historic duty because peace in Haiti is good for the world as a whole,” Ruto said.
The announcement came after a day of gun violence throughout Port-au-Prince. Reports say authorities battled gang members who targeted police stations, a police academy and the Toussaint-Louverture International Airport.
The violence forced the airport, businesses, government agencies and schools to close as families ran through the streets in panic.
Gang leader Jimmy Cherizier — who goes by the nickname “Barbecue” — issued a video statement saying a coordinated attack by armed groups was underway to oust Prime Minister Henry.
He said that the groups wanted the prime minister to resign and “free the country” and that they would “use all strategies” to achieve the goal.
Henry became Haiti’s leader after the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise three years ago, plunging the country into extraordinary levels of violence and chaos. He has twice promised to hold new elections but has reneged each time.
Gangs control many areas of Port-au-Prince, and police in Haiti have been unable to control the violence.
Some information for this report was provided by The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse. Additional reporting by Nairobi Bureau Chief Mariama Diallo.
