US President Joe Biden, spoke with President William Ruto Tuesday to thank him for answering Haiti’s call to serve as the lead nation of the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission.
According to the White House, they welcomed the successful vote at the United Nations Security Council Monday authorizing the MSS to bring relief to the people of Haiti, who have suffered for far too long at the hands of violent criminals.
Biden also congratulated Ruto for hosting the recently concluded Africa Climate Summit and expressed appreciation for the U.S.-Kenya strategic partnership, which is founded on a pursuit of shared solutions to global challenges.
Together, they discussed additional opportunities to promote regional security and mutual prosperity by spurring new investments, jobs, and sustainable growth.
This came as Kenyan officials rushed to fast-track the planned deployment of the police with hopes of getting more funding.
Already the US has pledged to provide $200 million (Sh29 billion) for the mission.
The Biden administration has pledged $100 million (Sh14.5 billion) to the mission and another $100 million (Sh14.5 billion from the Defense Department in the form of intelligence, airlifts, communications, and medical assistance.
About a dozen countries said they would join the mission, including Jamaica, Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda.
The police will among others carry out “targeted operations” along with the Haitian National Police.
Kenya has pledged at least 1,000 police officers, and several other nations are expected to offer other resources.
Nearly 3,000 people were killed in Haiti from October last year until June, as gangs took over large patches of the country, particularly Port-au-Prince, the capital, according to the United Nations.
Many neighborhoods have cleared out as people have fled widespread murders, kidnappings, and extortion.
Ruto Tuesday welcomed the approval of a Kenya-led security mission to Haiti amid gang violence that has rocked the Caribbean country’s capital Port-au-Prince for over a year.
The 15-member council on Monday adopted a resolution that authorizes the Kenya-led ‘Multinational Security Support mission‘ to support Haiti police in combating the gangs.
The resolution, drafted by the United States and Ecuador, was approved with 13 votes in favor while China and Russia abstained from the vote.
Ruto welcomed the council’s decision, terming it “an overdue and critical instrument to define the multinational mission.”
Ruto described the mission as a moral obligation for the international community.
“The situation in Haiti demands, as a matter of humanitarian consideration, moral responsibility, and fundamental justice, that actions be scaled up significantly to meet the demands of emergency relief, humanitarian aid, support for livelihoods, and major interventions in public health and environmental protection,” he said.
Kenya has offered to send 1,000 troops to Haiti, while the Bahamas has committed 150 people as Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda pledge to help.
The mission is also mandated to secure the country’s critical infrastructure including air and seaports as well as other vital transit arteries and intersections.
Ruto said the mission will provide a different footprint in the history of international interventions in Haiti.