Kenya’s US-backed police deployment in Haiti has come under increasing scrutiny as the death toll amongst its officers rises, with three now confirmed dead since the UN Security Council-sanctioned occupation began in June 2024.
The latest fatality, Bénédict Kabiru, was klled during an ambush in the Artibonite region while attempting to recover an armoured police vehicle from a ditch. Another officer, Samuel Tompoi, was klled in February. Plus, another senior officer en route to Haiti died mysteriously in a US hotel in the same month.
Critics argue that Kenya’s intervention merely supports US interests rather than addressing the root causes of Haiti’s instability. Past foreign interventions, including UN missions, have not only failed to bring lasting security but have led to about 10,000 cholera deaths, plus murders and s*xual violence.
Haiti’s ongoing crisis stems from foreign interference that dates to its 1804 revolution, where the enslaved ousted French enslavers from the island. France then forced Haiti to pay an estimated $21 billion in ‘reparations’ to former enslavers, which further weakened Haiti’s economy. Since the early 20th century, the US has undermined Haiti’s sovereignty by occupying the country, assassinating leaders, installing governments and looting the country’s resources.
In the meantime, so-called gang violence reportedly continues to spiral out of control, displacing thousands and worsening food insecurity for more than 5 million, or almost half the country.
Sources
https://x.com/MSSMHaiti/status/1897630291428008275
https://jacobin.com/2024/05/us-kenya-haiti-intervention
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/us-haiti-coup/
https://www.democracynow.org/2016/10/11/bill_clinton_s_trade_policies_destroyed
https://canada-haiti.ca/content/how-us-came-dominate-haiti-seizing-gold