Haiti Prime Minister welcomes Kenyan peacekeeping troops

Garry Conille, Haiti's prime minister, has announced a robust strategy to liberate his country from gang control while vowing to reclaim the country "house by house, neighborhood by neighborhood, city by city".

Conille was speaking on Wednesday after visiting the base of the United Nations-backed Multinational Security Support mission led by police officers from Kenya. During the visit to the base located near Port-au-Prince International Airport, Conille, who was accompanied by Kenyan and Haitian officials, reaffirmed his government's commitment to closely work with both the Haitian National Police and the newly arrived Kenyan forces.

He also underscored the importance of strategizing and planning operations aimed at restoring peace and order, emphasizing the critical role of public cooperation. On Tuesday, the first contingent of 400 Kenyan police officers arrived in the Haitian capital to launch a long-awaited peacekeeping mission in the Caribbean country that has been ravaged by gang violence.

In a message shared with Haitian journalists after the arrival of the Kenyan police contingent, Jimmy Cherizie, one of the main gang leaders in the country called for community dialogue to help end violence in the Caribbean nation.

However, Conille insisted that dialogue could only take place if the gang leaders stopped engaging in illegal activities. He further clarified that dialogue was not possible over what he claimed to be the gangs looting and killing citizens.

"Lay down your arms, recognize the authority of the State before any other arrangement," Conille told the gang leaders.

According to the UNHCR, the gang wars in Haiti have now displaced over half a million people and nearly five million are facing severe food insecurity. Armed groups, which now control most of the capital, have formed a broad alliance while carrying out widespread killings and ransom kidnappings.