Senior United States senator from Florida Marco Rubio has commended Kenyan troops in Haiti for restoring stability in the Caribbean country.
Rubio, a one-time opponent of Donald Trump for the Republican nomination, has been nominated for Secretary of State in Donald Trump’s cabinet.
Speaking when he appeared before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Rubio acknowledged that the troops in Haiti had done a commendable job to restore order, despite being outnumbered and outgunned by gangs.
“There is a fundamental problem in Haiti; that is there is no legitimacy in authority. Some of the national police forces in Haiti have been extraordinarily brave despite being outgunned and outmanned. These guys and girls are stuck at their posts and fought back against armed gangs. When the most powerful person in any nation is nicknamed Barbecue that is not a good thing, these are bad gang elements operating within Haiti,” he stated.
“The Kenyans are there and I can tell you they deserve a lot of credit for being the ones to take on that mission and in recent days missions from other countries have arrived.”
According to Rubio, the problem in Haiti cannot be solved in a day, and a lot of patience is needed to accomplish the mission of driving out the gangs.
“I don’t think anyone can tell you they have a master plan to fix that overnight. It begins with stability and security. You’ve got to establish some baseline security. I would encourage foreign partners from the Western Hemisphere who should contribute to this effort to provide some level of stability and security in Haiti so that you can explore the opportunity to have a transitional that has legitimacy and can ultimately lead the conduct of elections and then have governing body in the country that can bring about a nation state,” he added.
“It’s gonna take a long time and I say this with a lot of sadness in my heart. There have been bad times and there have been worse times in Haiti but sadly here have not been a golden era in Haiti’s history.”
Haiti promise
This comes as Kenya is sending over 270 more officers to Haiti on Friday, January 17, 2025, to support the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission.
During his visit to Haiti in 2024, President William Ruto pledged to send 600 more police officers to the Caribbean country to fight gangs controlling much of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and nearby areas.
“There are many people who thought Haiti was mission impossible, but today they have changed their minds because of the progress you have made. Our next batch, an additional 600, is undergoing redeployment training. We will be mission-ready in a few weeks’ time and look forward to the requisite support to enable their deployment,” Ruto said in September 2024.
The mission, led by Kenyan police officers in support of the Haitian National Police (HNP), is primarily tasked with tackling the pervasive gang violence that has engulfed Port-au-Prince and other key regions.
The international mission has also been tasked with providing security escorts and establishing safe corridors to ensure that aid can reach vulnerable populations without interference from armed groups.
While the mission is led by a coalition of willing states, MSSM operates under the broader framework of the UN Security Council mandate.
A handful of other countries have together pledged at least 1,900 more troops.
MSSM’s security operations are currently being focused at Toussaint Louverture International Airport (TLIA), Carrefour Drouillard, Cazeau, Carrefour l’aeroport, IGHNP Building, National Port Authority (APN), Champ de Mars, Solino, Fort National, National Police College, Pont Sonde, Carrefour Paye, l’Estere, La Croix and Petite Riviere, Vivi Mitchell, Downtown, Delmas, Torcelle, Bourdon, Christ Roi and Verreux Fuel Terminal.
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