Kenyan force in Haiti says ‘no room for failure’ in curbing gang violence

The nationally broadcast news conference was the first public comment from the Kenyan force, though the briefing did not take any questions from the media.

The head of the Kenya-led multinational force tasked with curbing gang violence in Haiti said on Monday “there’s no room for failure” and that the United Nations-backed police mission was committed to ensuring democratic elections in the Caribbean nation.

The nationally broadcast news conference was the first public comment from the Kenyan force, though the briefing did not take any questions from the media.

Still, major questions remain about the the Kenyan force, which arrived late last month in Haiti — months after powerful gangs seized control of most of the country’s capital, Port-au-Prince, and caused the prime minister’s resignation.

“We have a job that we are committed to do,” Kenyan officer Godfrey Otunge said. “We intend to achieve this by working closely with Haitian authorities and local and international partners dedicated to a new Haiti.”

The U.N.-backed mission, to which the United States has pledged over $300 million in support, has been questioned from the start. At home, Kenyan police have long been accused by watchdogs and witnesses of human rights abuses, including in recent protests.

Haiti’s new Prime Minister Garry Conille has called the history of foreign intervention in his country a “mixed bag” that has included human rights abuses and a “lack of respect for sovereignty and local culture.”

Some in Haiti, however, have welcomed the new mission with hope.

Kenya has pledged 1,000 police to the international police force — 200 initially arrived — and Conille last week told the U.N. Security Council that the next contingent will be arriving “very soon.” Later, they will be joined by police from the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Benin, Chad and Jamaica. The force will total 2,500 personnel.