Responding to the deaths of two American missionaries in Haiti, the White House is pushing Kenya to rush armed men to Port-au-Prince. The US is providing funding and training for about 1,000 Kenyan troops that will be sent to Haiti and transfer authority to a Washington-created government.
On Thursday night, two American missionaries were shot and killed in Port-au-Prince. The White House responded by asking Kenyan President William Ruto to expedite the armed Kenyan forces that are officially labeled as police officers.
“The security situation in Haiti cannot wait,” a National Security Council spokesperson said on Friday, adding that Biden had pledged to support the “expedited deployment” of the Kenya-led force in talks with Ruto on Thursday.
The Kenyans were scheduled to be deployed to Haiti last week, which coincided with Ruto’s meeting with President Joe Biden in Washington. During the summit, Biden said he would make Kenya the 19th Major non-NATO Ally. The title gives Kenya additional access to US weapons, technology, and training.
However, Nairobi postponed the deployment due to concerns about the base that will accommodate the police. One Kenyan source speaking with the AP said the facility was still under construction and did not have vehicles.
The Joe Biden administration has been working for years to deploy an international armed force to Haiti. The White House hopes the Kenyan police will be able to take power from paramilitary groups and transfer it to a government formed by Washinton.
