The United Nations (UN) recently witnessed a significant development in Haiti as Prime Minister Garry Conille addressed the UN Security Council, expressing optimism about the role of recently deployed Kenyan police in controlling the country’s gangs and paving the way for democratic elections. The Kenyan police, part of an international police force, have been well-received, with Conille describing the feedback from their initial days in the capital as “extremely, extremely positive.”
Haiti requested an international force to combat gangs in 2022, and the UN Secretary-General António Guterres had been advocating for a country to lead the force. The gangs, which have grown in power since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021, are now estimated to control up to 80% of the capital. The surge in violence, including killings, rapes, and kidnappings, has led to a violent uprising by civilian vigilante groups.
Conille, a former UN development specialist, assumed his post as prime minister last month after being voted in by a transitional council. His primary tasks include stabilizing the country in preparation for democratic elections in February 2026, addressing gang violence, food insecurity, and rebuilding public trust in the police.
The international police force, which will eventually total 2,500 personnel, includes contingents from Kenya, the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Benin, Chad, and Jamaica. Since their arrival, the Kenyan police have held operational meetings with the national police and started joint operations for the mission.
The violence in Haiti has resulted in the displacement of 580,000 people, with more than half being children, according to the U.N. children’s agency, UNICEF. The World Food Program reports that over 4 million Haitians face food insecurity. Conille acknowledged Haiti’s history of foreign intervention, which he described as a “mixed bag” with instances of human rights abuses and a lack of respect for sovereignty and local culture.
The international police force will require “close coordination and constant communication between all the parties involved to ensure the mistakes of the past are not repeated,” Conille emphasized. The UN Special Representative for Haiti, María Isabel Salvador, urged the international community to contribute to the fund financing the police operation.
Kenya and the Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, also called for countries that have made pledges to the fund to deposit the money “as soon as possible.” The United States pledged the largest contribution of any country, $309 million, to the police mission. However, the U.S. funding has not yet arrived, and Kenya is working closely with the United States to distribute supplies in Haiti.
Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia criticized the U.S. for failing to prevent arms smuggling to Haiti’s gangs during the council meeting. Nebenzia stated that the current embargo is not effective in preventing the flow of arms from the U.S. into Haiti. The U.S. Ambassador, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, countered by saying that the United States is “concerned about the illicit flow of arms into Haiti” and is “actively working to enforce the arms embargo.”
