(Port-Au-Prince) The head of the Kenyan-led multinational force tasked with combating gang violence in Haiti said “there is no room for failure” and pledged Monday to ensure democratic elections.
The nationally broadcast briefing was the first public comment by Kenyan forces who arrived in Haiti late last month, months after powerful gangs seized control of much of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and forced the resignation of the prime minister.
“We have a job that we are determined to do,” said Kenyan officer Godfrey Otunga. “We intend to do this by working closely with Haitian authorities and local and international partners dedicated to a new Haiti.”
The UN-backed police mission, to which the United States has pledged more than US$300 million in support, has been questioned from its inception. In Kenya, the police have long been accused by watchdogs and witnesses of human rights abuses, including during recent protests.
Haiti’s new prime minister, Garry Conille, has called the history of foreign intervention in his country a “curious mix” that includes human rights abuses and a “lack of respect for local sovereignty and culture.”
Some in Haiti, however, welcomed the new mission with hope.
Kenya has pledged 1,000 officers to the international police force – 200 had initially arrived – and Mr Conille told the UN Security Council last week that the next contingent would arrive “very soon”.
Later, the Kenyan officers will be joined by police from the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Benin, Chad and Jamaica. The force will total 2,500 personnel.
A transitional council named Mr. Conille as the new prime minister in May. U.S. officials have urged him to prioritize the creation of an electoral council as the country works to rebuild its government. Mr. Conille is tasked with stabilizing the country ahead of democratic elections in February 2026.
Mr Otunga said the new mission aims to “create security conditions conducive to the holding of free and fair elections”.
Haitian Police Chief Normil Rameau also addressed the nation, saying the mission is focused on reclaiming all areas from gang control, reestablishing police presence in areas without authority, and helping Haitians displaced by gangs return home. More than half a million people have been displaced.
Mr. Rameau and other Haitian government officials have not shared details of future operations, citing strategic reasons and saying they did not want to alert gangs to their plans.
Haiti has called for an international force to fight gangs in 2022, and U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres has been calling for months for one country to lead the force before the Kenyans stepped forward.
The gangs have grown in power since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse on July 7, 2021, and are now estimated to control up to 80% of the capital. The surge in killings, rapes, and kidnappings has led to a violent uprising by civilian vigilante groups.