Kenyan President William Ruto is on a visit to the United States this week, amid efforts to deepen economic and security cooperation between the two countries, as well as launch a long-stalled police deployment to Haiti.
The trip comes as US President Joe Biden’s administration has sought to strengthen partnerships with African nations amid growing competition on the continent with its top geopolitical rivals, China and Russia.
Ruto, who will hold talks with Biden at the White House on Thursday, is also visiting the US as a United Nations-backed initiative to send a Kenya-led police force to Haiti appears to be solidifying.
The UN Security Council last year authorised the multinational support mission, which its backers say is needed to help restore security in the Caribbean country amid years of widespread gang violence and instability.
But a recent wave of deadly attacks by Haitian armed groups – particularly in the capital, Port-au-Prince – delayed the mission.
Now, Kenyan officials say a deployment is imminent as a shaky political transition is under way in Haiti, and the country’s main airport, in Port-au-Prince, recently reopened.
Korir Sing’Oei, Kenya’s principal secretary of foreign affairs, told reporters on Sunday that the country was finalising preparations for the mission. “I can tell you for sure that that deployment will happen in the next few days, few weeks,” said Sing’Oei.
The deployment is expected to number about 2,500 members, a UN official said in December, including 1,000 Kenyan police officers.
The US Southern Command also said this month that contractors had been flown to Haiti “to set up the temporary living area for the eventual arrival of the Multinational Security Support (MSS) Mission”. Equipment and supplies have been delivered, as well.
Outstanding questions
However, Meron Elias, an east and southern Africa analyst at the International Crisis Group think-tank, said last week that sticking points…
Source from www.aljazeera.com
