600 Kenyan Police Officers to Bolster Haiti's Struggle Against Rampant Gang Control

An additional 600 Kenyan police officers are set to deploy to the Caribbean nation of Haiti in the near future as gangs continue to wage war against their rivals and security services. Just two days ago, UN expert on rights issues in the Caribbean, William O'Neil, claimed that much of the country's capital, Port-au-Prince, is still under the control of gangs, despite the Kenyan-led Multinational Security Support (MSS) Mission deploying to the country in late June..O'Neil illustrated the situation in the nation while speaking to UN News, stating that Haiti's entire southern peninsula, populated by an estimated 4 million people, is completely cut off from the capital—the result of gang control over vital transit routes."They are basically held hostage by this gang, and there are shortages of everything out there, including gas. They haven't had electricity for four years, though people do have generators. But if they don't have fuel for the generators, then people don't have anything anyway."Noting the 'slow pace' of the multinational mission in the country, O'Neil touched on the frustration experienced by the nation's citizens. With the mission not yet at one-fourth of its capacity and with limited resources, the successes have been small, said O'Neil.What You Need to KnowEstimated figures indicate the availability of approximately 7,000–9,000 security forces for the nation of 11 million. Furthermore, O'Neil outlined damning statistics, with 94 percent of women and girls in the country at risk of sexual violence."I have never seen anything like that anywhere—Liberia, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan. I've worked in many places; I've never seen anything like that."Moreover, with most hospitals not functioning, the healthcare outlook is dire, with approximately 5 million residents food insecure.The deployment of an additional 600 police officers is set to bring the Kenyan contingent up to approximately 1,000 personnel."There are many people who thought Haiti was a mission impossible, but today they have changed their minds because of the progress you have made," said Kenyan President William Ruto while speaking to police officers in the Haitian capital yesterday.Referring to the recapture of the Autorité Portuaire Nationale—the capital's port—from gang control in July, as well as the retaking of a university hospital also in the capital, Ruto commended his nation's troops for "working hand-in-hand with Haitian forces to protect the people and restore security."Additional troops have been pledged by Haiti's Caribbean partners, such as Jamaica, the Bahamas, Guyana, Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, as well as Benin, Chad, and Bangladesh, hoping to provide at least 1,900 extra personnel to the mission.Nevertheless, approximately 80 percent of the nation still lies under the control of various gangs, and with the mission's mandate expiring in early October, the future of Haiti's security remains uncertain. However, towards the end of the month, the UN Security Council is set to meet to discuss this uncertain future and decide whether the mission's mandate shall be extended, allowing it to become a full United Nations mission.