Former US Special Envoy for Haiti, Dan Foote, has expressed doubts about Kenya’s plan to dispatch 1,000 police officers to Haiti, suggesting that the number falls short of what is needed to address the security challenges in the Caribbean nation.
In an interview with CNN, Foote highlighted the historical context of military interventions in Haiti, emphasizing that successful missions typically involved a much larger deployment of troops.
He stated, “Every time there has been a military intervention in Haiti in the past 20 years, it’s had a minimum of 20,000 troops or police going in there.”
Foote also observed the hesitation among the Kenyan public regarding the mission, which he finds concerning.
He remarked, “You see the reticence on the part of the Kenyan public to send these guys and that makes me nervous.”
Moreover, Foote suggested that Kenya’s decision to lead the security mission might be primarily driven by financial incentives rather than genuine peacekeeping efforts.
He stated, “I believe that this is more of a cash grab by President Ruto whose country will receive a lot of money for doing this.”
The US government had initially pledged $100 million to support the Kenyan-led multinational force aimed at restoring security in Haiti, urging other nations to contribute similarly.
Foote also warned about the potential resistance Kenyan troops might face from well-armed Haitian gangs, especially if a proposed Caricom government is established in Haiti.
He remarked, “The Haitians are well armed and if the international community imposes this Caricom government contract, they are going to fight the Kenyans to the death.”
Haiti is currently experiencing a humanitarian crisis exacerbated by a surge in gang violence.
Recently, Kenya announced the postponement of its plan to send police to Haiti under a UN-backed multinational mission.
Principal Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Korir Sing’oei, explained that the decision was influenced by the resignation of Haiti’s Prime Minister Ariel Henry due to the takeover of armed gangs in the nation.
Sing’oei affirmed Kenya’s commitment to providing leadership to the Multinational Security Support mission approved by the UN Security Council.
Despite the delay, President William Ruto reaffirmed the Kenyan government’s determination to carry out the mission to Haiti.
