Published: 14:17, August 1, 2023 | Updated: 21:24, August 1, 2023
UN chief lauds Kenya's offer to lead international force in Haiti
By Xinhua

National Police patrol during an anti-gang operation in the Tabare neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, July 25, 2023. (PHOTO / AP)

UNITED NATIONS - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomes Kenya's willingness to lead an international force in the Caribbean nation of Haiti, his deputy spokesman said on Monday.

Some Security Council members said the fundamental solution to the crises in Haiti lies in advancing the political process, and the key to resolving the Haitian conundrum is in the hands of the Haitian people themselves

"The secretary-general welcomes Kenya's positive response to his call for the urgently needed international non-UN security support to Haiti," Farhan Haq, the deputy spokesman, told reporters.

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According to reports by Kenyan media, Alfred Mutua, cabinet secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs of Kenya, on Saturday said Kenya has accepted to positively consider leading a multinational force to Haiti.

Mutua also said Kenya's commitment is to deploy a contingent of 1,000 police officers to help train and assist Haitian police to restore normalcy in the country and protect strategic installations.

Guterres values Kenya's consideration to possibly lead a non-UN multinational force, said Haq.

"The secretary-general reiterates his call to the Security Council to support such a non-UN international operation and encourages member states, particularly from the region, to join forces with Kenya," the spokesman added.

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Guterres has repeatedly called for the deployment of an international armed force in Haiti.

Some Security Council members said the fundamental solution to the crises in Haiti lies in advancing the political process, and the key to resolving the Haitian conundrum is in the hands of the Haitian people themselves.