Kenyan police to depart for contentious peacekeeping effort in Haiti

Kenyan President William Ruto holds ceremonial goodbye for 400 troops set to depart on UN-backed mission.

A contingent of Kenyan police is set to depart for a controversial mission in Haiti to combat the influence of powerful criminal gangs that have brought turmoil and violence to the Caribbean nation.

Kenyan President William Ruto held a ceremony on Monday, wishing luck to 400 officers who will arrive in Haiti later this week in a United Nations-backed initiative, the first contingent out of 1,000 police that Kenya expects to send.

“This mission is one of the most urgent, important and historic in the history of global solidarity,” Ruto told the officers in quotes shared by his office.

“It is a mission to affirm the universal values of the community of nations, a mission to take a stand for humanity.”