Report: Kenya-led international force in Haiti will face "significant obstacles"
A report by the International Conflict Organization based in Belgium has warned that the international mission led by Kenya that aims to support the Haitian National Police in its fight against armed gangs will face many challenges.
Corruption, the relationship between police, politicians and gangs, overcrowded prisons, large numbers of police officers, and the difficulty of protecting citizens in urban warfare are some of the many challenges listed in the report. The report emphasized that, "for all these reasons, preparations will be very important." "The police are very few and overpowered by gangs," said Diego Da Rin, with the International Crisis Group, who spent nearly a month in Haiti late last year to research the report. The international force managed by the United Nations has not yet been sent to Haiti and is awaiting a court decision in Kenya. In November last year, the Kenyan Parliament approved the deployment of one thousand police officers to Haiti, which has been plunged into chaos and violence by armed gangs. The Kenyan police are part of a UN-backed mission to restore peace in Haiti, despite strong domestic criticism. This step was taken after the Kenyan court suspended the program for a while. Dr. Ekuru Aukot, the leader of the Thirdway Alliance Party who presented a case against sending the Kwenya police to Haiti has said: "Our Parliament has sold its soul to the United States and went to clean up the mess they caused in Haiti." Ekuru Aukot The Nairobi government's decision to send a thousand policemen to Haiti has been opposed by some Kenyan politicians led by the leader of the opposition camp, Raila Odinga, who has said that the plan is not Kenya's priority. The former prime minister of Kenya said the situation in Haiti is dangerous, warning that sending the police to the country endangers the lives of the Kenyan police.
