Kenya to Send Police to Help Quell Haiti Gangs
- Kenya to send 1,000 of 2,500 officer back-up that Haiti needs
- Caribbean nation needs to rein in gangs ahead of elections
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Kenyan lawmakers on Thursday approved the government’s plan to deploy a police force to Haiti to rein in powerful gangs and make way for long-delayed elections.
Heavily armed gangs that control large parts of Haiti’s capital as well as swathes of the countryside have paralyzed the economy with kidnappings, extortion and turf wars. The national police requires at least 2,500 officers from contributing nations to restore law and order, guard critical infrastructure and provide unhindered access for humanitarian aid, according to a report by a joint committee of Kenya’s National Assembly and Senate.