The Caribbean country of Haiti has been blighted for years by groups of armed gangs, who have proved more than a match for the national police force, who have struggled to confront them. Now as the country descends further into lawlessness, a response to Haiti’s plea for international assistance may finally be at hand, in the form of a United Nations backed multi-national security force led by Kenya and supported financially by the United States. This East African country has volunteered to lead the mission with their own elite police unit, to help Haiti’s transitional authorities restore order. But the Kenyan government’s decision to involve itself in another country’s problems has raised some questions back home about the deployment. So, on this week’s Inquiry, we’re asking ‘Why is Kenya getting involved in Haiti?’ Contributors: Robert Fatton Jr, Emeritus Professor of Politics, University of Virginia, USA. Dismas Mokua, Political Risk Analyst, Tricarta Advisory Limited, Nairobi, Kenya Professor Karuti Kanyinga, University of Nairobi Institute for Development Studies, Kenya Michelle Gavin, Ralph Bunche Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations, New York, USA Presenter: Charmaine Cozier Producer: Jill Collins Researcher: Matt Toulson Technical Producer: Nicky Edwards Production Coordinator:Tim Fernley Editor: Tara McDermott Image/Credit: Haiti awaits the arrival of Kenyan led international security support mission, Port Au Prince/ORLANDO BARRIA/EPA-EFE/REX Shutterstock via BBC Images
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Welcome to the Inquiry.
I'm Charmaine Kozier.
Each week, one question, four expert witnesses and an answer.
October 2022, there's an urgent plea for international help.
It's coming from Haiti, where riots, high fuel prices, food shortages and hundreds of armed gangs are dragging it deeper into chaos.
There's also fierce public anger towards Prime Minister Ariel Henry.
He took power without an election following the assassination of the president Juvenel Moise.
Ariel Henry and 18 of his officials asked the United nations to send a specialized armed force to prevent the Caribbean country collapsing and a humanitarian crisis from exploding.
Nearly two years later, Ariel Henry is out of office.
Thousands of people have been killed or kidnapped.
Gang controlled areas include the capital city.
Also, one country has responded to Haiti's call for armed help by volunteering to lead a multinational security force with their own specialist police in charge.
So this week we're asking, why is Kenya getting involved in Haiti?
Part one impossible?
It is a really difficult mission for the Kenyans.
One can only hope that it ends well.