Police officers and soldiers arrive in Haiti, joining Kenya-led mission against violent gangs

Another batch of soldiers and police arrived in Haiti on Thursday, as the country continues to grapple with a surge in gang violence. The two dozen personnel will be bolstering the Kenya-led, UN-approved Multinational Security Mission to fight the gangs, who have seized control of 80 percent of the capital.

Their arrival in Haiti comes as the US said that the mission is in need of resources. The head of the Multinational Kenyan Police force expressed his gratitude for the new personnel, saying “I would like to welcome our brothers from Jamaica and Belize, for this special mission that we are undertaking.”

The soldiers and police are to provide planning, command and logistics support. Jamaica has promised to send 200 personnel in total, but says it cannot do so all at once. The Multinational Force is expected to involve 2,500 people; several other countries including Chad, the Bahamas and Bangladesh have promised to send officers and soldiers but the timeframe for their arrival remains unclear.

The surge in gang violence in Haiti has prompted around 580,000 people to flee their homes, and has plunged the country into a humanitarian crisis, with around 5 million experiencing severe hunger.