The Multinational Security Support Mission has announced that some Kenyan police officers will be staying in Haiti even as others begin returning home.
The Spokesperson of the Mission, Jack Mbaka, was talking to journalists on March 19. According to him, the Mission has entered a new phase in which the number of officers will be reduced gradually.
This means that some of the officers will be returning home in groups, while others will be staying back to assist in the transition phase as a new security team prepares to take over the role of protecting the nation from gangs and other security threats
The new security team that is expected to replace the current one in Haiti and take over the responsibility of protecting the nation from security threats and gangs is the Gang Suppression Force. This team has been endorsed by the United Nations and has the support of the United States and is expected to arrive in April, beginning with a small team from Chad.
Earlier in the week, a team of 215 Kenyan officers returned to the country. They were received at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport by Inspector General Douglas Kanja.
Despite the ongoing process of the Kenyan officers returning home, there is still no clear information on when the rest of the officers will fully depart Haiti. This is being done slowly in order to ensure that there is no gap in security.
The country is expected to fully withdraw from the country by October this year. However, this will depend on how quickly the new team can settle in the country.
Kenya has been in charge of the mission in Haiti since 2023. This is after the country stepped in when no other country was willing to take up the role.
The country has faced some challenges. These include a lack of personnel and security risks in the country. At least three of the Kenyan officers have lost their lives while in the country on duty.
As the drawdown continues, the focus of the country is on how to manage the handover and when the remaining officers will return home.
