NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Kenya has sent 217 additional police officers to Haiti as part of a multinational force to prevent it gang violence is plaguing the Caribbean nationKenya's interior minister said on Saturday.
According to the minister, Kipchumba Murkomen, the police officers left Kenya on Friday.
“The Kenyan-led mission has made great strides in reducing gang violence, earning worldwide acclaim,” Mukomen said as he shared a photo of himself with some of the officers on board a plane. .
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“Kenya's commitment to this historic mission is unwavering,” he said.
Kenya sent troops to Haiti first in June and the total deployment now exceeds 600. Kenyan President William Ruto has pledged to deploy 1,000 troops as part of the UN-backed force in Haiti.
Gang violence has left more than 700,000 Haitians homeless in recent years, with many ending up in makeshift and unsanitary shelters after gunmen ransacked their homes.
There were over 5,600 people was reported killed throughout Haiti last yearaccording to the United Nations. The number of killings increased by more than 20% compared to all of 2023, according to the UN Human Rights Office.
In addition, more than 2,200 people were reported injured and nearly 1,500 kidnapped, he said.
