US Declines to Deploy Troops to Haiti Despite Kenya's Lead in Mission

The Biden administration has declined to send troops to Haiti, despite backing Kenya's peacekeeping efforts in the Caribbean nation.

According to a National Security official speaking to McClatchy on Monday, March 4, the US is rallying international assistance to aid Haiti urgently.

Amid Haiti's declaration of a state of emergency, White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby emphasized that efforts were underway to expedite the deployment of Kenyan police officers.

"Senior US government officials maintained close contact with Haitian authorities and the international community over the weekend to stabilize the situation and facilitate a lasting political resolution," Kirby stated.

He reiterated that the US was collaborating with international partners to provide immediate support to Haiti.

The decision not to deploy US troops came despite requests from Haitian officials, who cited delays in Kenya's deployment as exacerbating the chaos. Haitian authorities called for the emergency deployment of US special forces.

During a 72-hour communication exchange, Haitian diplomatic officials conveyed their concerns to their US counterparts.

While the US had advocated for the deployment of 1,000 Kenyan police officers, alongside personnel from other countries, to address violence in Haiti, the allocation faced opposition from Republican lawmakers in Congress.

Kenya, alongside Jamaica, the Bahamas, and Antigua and Barbuda, planned to deploy officers to Haiti. Benin also pledged to send 2,000 troops to the mission last week.

However, Kenya's deployment was blocked by its High Court in January, deeming it unconstitutional.

Despite the ruling, President William Ruto committed to deploying officers after negotiations with Haitian officials. On Friday, March 1, Ruto and Haiti Prime Minister Ariel Henry signed an agreement for the deployment of police officers.

"We are offering the experience and expertise of our police officers in the Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti as mandated by the United Nations Security Council and as guided by our courts," Ruto affirmed.