Why Foreign Officers Are Policing Haiti

Foreign law enforcement officers started arriving in Haiti late last month, more than a year and a half after the prime minister there issued a plea to other countries for help to stop the rampant gang violence that has upended the Caribbean nation.

The 400 officers from Kenya are the first contingent of a deployment of officers from eight nations. Their job is to try to wrest control of Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, from dozens of armed groups that have attacked police stations, freed prisoners and killed with impunity.

So far, the officers have gone out on a few patrols around Port-au-Prince and the authorities have not reported any clashes with any armed groups.

Some security experts say the Kenyan officers face a significant challenge supporting Haiti’s police and facing off with well-armed and highly organized gangs which have vowed to fight the foreign officers.

And the Kenyan police have a checkered history back home, accused by human rights groups of killing and abusing civilians, raising concerns about their actions in Haiti.