The Haiti Transitional Presidential Council has written a letter to President William Ruto seeking assistance and prompt deployment of police officers.
The council on Thursday, May 9, told President Ruto that the country was awaiting the intervention by the Multinational Security Support as violence escalates.
Per the news outlets from the Carribean, the letter from members of the council was a matter of urgency to address the security issues.
This message comes about two weeks before the deployment of 1,000 police officers from Kenya to lead the Multinational Security Support mission.
Officials from the council expressed concerns at the increasing rate of violence and crime in the Caribbean nation and the delay in the deployment of the troops.
It is yet to be established whether President Ruto has responded to the distress call from Haiti.
However, the President has assured that Kenya would go ahead with the deployment due to its obligation to the international community. He is set to travel to the US on May 23 when the troops are expected to be deployed.
Officials from the US on April 30 revealed that the first batch of officers will be flown into Haiti in late May to quell the ongoing violence.
Currently, the US troops alongside civilian contractors are in Haiti constructing military bases for Kenyan troops. Reports indicate that several military planes have been flying into the country as the US rushes against time to make the necessary arrangements.
Several challenges have been reported since Kenya volunteered to deploy troops in April 2023. The government was initially sued but the High Court declared the deployment unconstitutional in January.
After the court ruling, the two governments came up with an agreement to offer guidance to the deployment. This resolved the questions raised by the High Court.
Additionally, despite the agreement several police officers reportedly stepped down from the mission for fear for their lives.
Haitians are however waiting for the new troops led by Kenya. Others are from Benin, Jamaica, the Bahamas, Antigua and Barbuda.
