Kenyan police in Haiti will receive 24 additional armored vehicles from the US military

The US military announced on Friday that it would provide Kenyan personnel stationed in Haiti with 24 additional armored vehicles to assist in the long-delayed security operation in the conflict-torn Caribbean nation.

A security mission that was ratified by the United Nations and is responsible for combating the heavily armed groups that have seized the majority of the capital, consists of approximately 400 Kenyan police officers. They have recently been deployed to Haiti.

In 2022, Haiti’s previous government requested the mission. The Kenyan contingent is the sole group to have arrived, despite the fact that a small number of nations have collectively pledged over 2,500 soldiers.

US Southern Command, the joint military command of the Department of Defense that oversees Latin America and the Caribbean, or SouthCom, has announced that it will transport the mine-resistant ambush-protected (MRAP) MaxxPros to the primary airport of the capital via US Air Force C-17 cargo aircraft.

According to the statement, the deliveries will commence on Friday, thereby augmenting the current fleet of ten MRAPs supplied by the United States.

It was also stated that the aircraft will deliver 34 Overhead Gunner Protection Kits, or “turrets,” which will be installed on the armored vehicles by military-funded contractors to enhance their field of view during joint operations with national police.

In late July, Kenyan troops were compelled to disengage from the Haitian hamlet of Ganthier, which was a significant setback in one of the mission’s initial significant missions from the capital.

According to the Miami Herald, the initial MRAPs supplied by the Americans were devoid of turrets, which rendered personnel incapable of responding to or engaging in combat from within. This information was sourced from a spokesperson for the Kenyan forces.

Nearly 6,000 residents had been displaced by violence in Ganthier by August 1, according to UN data.

Nearly 600,000 individuals have been internally displaced by the conflict, and hundreds of thousands of potential migrants have been deported back to Haiti, where nearly 5 million individuals are currently experiencing severe starvation.

This October will mark the conclusion of the mission’s initial 12-month mandate.