Kenya, Dominican Republic sign agreement to support security mission in Haiti

Kenya and the Dominican Republic signed an agreement on Monday that would bolster support for the Kenyan police deployed in Haiti.

The deal was signed by the Dominican Foreign Minister Roberto Alvarez and Kenya’s First Cabinet Secretary and Foreign Secretary, Musalia Mudavadi would see Kenyan police receive both medical and repatriation support in case of emergencies.

The deal would help Kenyan police participating in a UN-backed multinational security mission evacuate, whether wounded or deceased.

Haiti’s National Police, bolstered by a U.N.-backed mission led by Kenyan police, has struggled in its fight against gangs as the mission remains underfunded and understaffed, with only 1,000 personnel of the 2,500 envisioned.

Kenyan police have constantly come under attack, with a few casualties reported.

Gangs that control at least 85% of Port-au-Prince have launched recent attacks on previously peaceful areas that police and armed residents are trying to protect.

More than 5,600 people were killed in Haiti last year, with gang violence leaving more than one million people homeless. In February and March alone, 1,086 people were killed and 383 injured, according to the U.N.