PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti (CMC) — Haiti’s Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé says the arrival of 218 Kenyan police and military personnel illustrates the determination of the government and the international community to eradicate armed gangs and restore peace and security in the French-speaking Caribbean Community (Caricom) country.

“The arrival of these reinforcements marks a crucial step in freeing our country from the grip of criminal networks and restoring peace there,” he said.

The arrival of the Kenyans over the last weekend brings the total strength of the United Nations Security Council-sanctioned Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission in Haiti to 807 military and police officers, including 617 Kenyans, 150 Guatemalans, eight Salvadorans, six Bahamians, 24 Jamaicans and two Belizeans.

The MSS is expected to reach 2,500, and last week, the Belize government said it is considering whether or not to deploy more soldiers to Haiti after indicating that “there are a few outstanding issues that have to be resolved” before troops could be sent there.

Belize had originally intended to deploy at least 50 personnel from the Belize Defence Force (BDF) and the Coast Guard, but Foreign Affairs Minister Francis Fonseca said following a briefing to the Cabinet, “I think there are a few outstanding issues that have to be resolved in terms of ensuring that our soldiers are ready.”

Earlier this month, Barbados defended its decision to suspend plans to send troops to Haiti, expressing concern that the country’s environment had become more dangerous.

The reinforcements come amid growing concerns over escalating gang violence in Haiti where armed groups that control more than 80 per cent of the capital have forced more than a million people across the country to flee their homes.

The United Nations Human Rights Office reported earlier this month that at least 5,601 people were killed in Haiti last year as a result of gang violence, an increase of over 1,000 on the total killings for 2023. It said a further 2,212 people were injured and 1,494 kidnapped.

Presidential Advisor, Fritz Alphonse Jean, in welcoming the new Kenyan contingent, thanked the African country, which was the first country to respond to help Haiti and said the state is ready to declare war on all criminal groups that are preventing the country from moving forward.