PORT-AU-PRINCE, (Reuters) – The Belize Defence Force is deploying two senior officers to Jamaica ahead of an assignment to Haiti, it said on Sunday, as part of its commitment to support a long-delayed security mission to help Haitian police fight powerful gangs.
The deployment could signal other countries will deploy to support Kenyan police already in the Caribbean nation as part of a “multinational support mission” requested by Haiti, with the U.N.’s initial 12-month mandate within weeks of expiring.
Haiti in 2022 requested international support to help fight armed gangs that have taken over most of the capital and are expanding to nearby areas, fueling a humanitarian crisis with mass displacements and soaring hunger.
So far, around 400 Kenyan police officers have deployed out of at least 2,900 troops promised by a handful of countries.
The mission has suffered setbacks such as delayed wages and supplies of key equipment like firing towers on armoured vehicles delivered by the U.S., its top financial backer.