Saturday, July 29, 2023, while Haiti is plunged into an extremely violent crisis, Alfred Mutua, the Kenyan Minister of Foreign Affairs declared "[...] Kenya has accepted to positively consider leading a Multi-National Force to Haiti. Kenya's commitment is to deploy a contingent of 1,000 police officers to help train and assist Haitian police restore normalcy in the country and protect strategic installations."

The statement explained "Kenya stands with persons of African descent across the world, including those in the Caribbean, and aligns with the African Union's diaspora policy and our own commitment to Pan Africanism [...]"

Note that the day before this statement, according to State Department spokesman Matthew Miller, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke by telephone with Kenyan President William Ruto.

However, Mutua clarified that "Kenya's proposed deployment will crystalize once a mandate from the UN Security Council is obtained and other Kenyan constitutional processes are undertaken."

Minister Mutua also indicated that an Assessment Mission by a Task Team of the Kenya Police is scheduled within the next few weeks. This assessment will inform and guide the mandate and operational requirements of the Mission.

SL/ HaitiLibre