Kenya has earned recognition for its crucial role in restoring peace and security in war-torn Haiti by deploying police officers to the Caribbean nation.
While appearing at the Senate Foreign Relations confirmation hearing at Dirksen Senate Office Building, US President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of State, Marco Rubio praised Kenya for its commitment to global peace and security.
He noted that Kenya deserves credit for taking on the challenging mission to stabilise Haiti that had been overrun by gangs.
There is no easy answer, the Kenyans are there and they deserve a lot of credit for being willing to take on that mission and in recent days missions from various countries have arrived.
Complex mission & Haiti gang leader
Delving into the complex nature of the mission and the situation in Haiti, Rubio noted that no one has a master plan and admitted that fixing it may take time.
READ: Truth about reports of 20 Kenyan police officers in Haiti resigning
I don't think anyone has a master plan for how you fix that overnight. These guys and girls are stuck at their posts and fought back against armed gangs.
"When the most powerful person in a nation-state is nicknamed ‘Barbecue,’ that is not a good thing," Senator Rubio noted in reference to the notorious Haitian gang leader Jimmy Chérizier alias Barbeque.
Kenya deployed 400 police officers to Haiti as part of the Multinational Security Support (MSS) backed by the United Nations (UN) with several other countries also pledging to join the mission.
Troops from other countries join Haiti mission
Earlier this year, about 150 military police officers from Central America joined the mission, providing the much-needed support to the Kenyan troops.
The troops, mostly from Guatemala and El Salvador were received by MSS Force Commander Godfrey Otunge at Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince.
READ: Why Benin rejected Kenya's leadership, halting deployment of 2,000 troops to Haiti
He exuded confidence, noting that the options for the gangs is limited to surrendering and facing justice.
The gangs have only two choices: surrender, lay down their weapons, and face justice, or face us in the field.
Benin, which pledged the largest contingent of troops to the Haiti mission, is yet to send its force to join Kenya's 400 police officers.