Provisional authorities in violence-torn Haiti are stepping up their efforts to garner international help in their fight against local gangs. During the weekend, visiting Port-au-Prince was Kenyan President William Ruto, whose country has already contributed a 400-strong police force and pledged to add some more troops shortly if necessary. At the same time, Presidential Transitional Council member Leslie Voltaire met with India's Ambassador Ramu Abbagani to discuss the issue, in addition to other topics such as climate change, natural disasters, public health, artificial intelligence, and solar energy.
Haitian authorities have announced that merchant ships will be escorted then entering a leaving Port-au-Prince given the mounting insecurity in the Caribbean country. Interim Prime Minister Garry Conille made this decision after four ships left to avoid gang violence.
The first batch of Kenyan law enforcement officers making up a UN peacekeeping mission landed Tuesday at Port-au-Prince's Toussaint Louverture Airport. The African country intends to send a total of 1,000 troops to the Caribbean nation gripped by rogue gangs, resulting in over 580,000 people nationwide left homeless from pillaging.
Haiti's transitional council managed to appoint a prime minister this week as the Caribbean country keeps fighting street gangs for effective control of Port-au-Prince and other key locations nationwide. Garry Conille has been chosen for the post he already held between Oct. 2011 and May 2012 under then-President Michel Martelly. Conille has been UNICEF's regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean since January 2023.