Crisis in Haiti: Kenya High Court Blocks Deployment of 1,000 Police Officers to Address Escalating Gang Violence

Fourteen years after a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 earthquake claimed 220,000 lives, Haiti is not on the path to recovery but in the midst of what resembles a war zone. In 2023, almost 5,000 people were violently killed, more than double the number in 2022, with the number of kidnappings increasing by 83%. Over 200,000 people, including 140,000 in the capital Port-au-Prince, have been forced to repeatedly flee their homes due to escalating gang violence and live in makeshift accommodations in schools, churches, and on the streets. 

Communities resort to building barricades using tires, old vehicles, and even banana trees to keep gangs, which now control over 80% of the capital, out of their neighborhoods. Children are deprived of education, and a staggering 87% of the population lives in poverty, with 30% in extreme poverty. Today, the Kenya High Court has blocked the deployment of 1,000 police officers as part of a Kenya-led international intervention authorized by the UN Security Council in October to address the escalating gang violence.

Mercy Corps Country Director for Haiti, Laurent Uwumuremyi, says:

“It is not surprising the High Court has blocked the deployment. The Kenya-led international intervention could have brought some relief and improved access to critical public infrastructure such as roads, administration buildings, hospitals, schools, and markets. However, based on past experience with international missions like MINUSTAH (the UN peacekeeping mission operational from 2004 to 2017), international interventions have had disastrous consequences. Solutions for Haiti, including those to bolster the Haitian National Police (PNH) and the army to tamp down violence and return some semblance of security, should be led by Haitians.

"Another international intervention might inadvertently worsen the situation, exposing more people to violence. Any deployment of a large number of police officers could also further strain the already struggling economy, escalating rent and food prices and reducing the amount of food Haitians can purchase, pushing those already unable to afford their next meal to the brink of famine. It is critical that any intervention is done to restore stability, respects human rights and humanitarian laws, and does not jeopardize or hinder aid operations or worsen the violence."

Mercy Corps is providing emergency cash assistance to 32,500 people and more than 700 small businesses in three Haitian departments, including Port-au-Prince. Since 2019, Mercy Corps has been working to reduce violence and help young people pursue opportunities through financial inclusion and life skills training for more than 8,000 adolescents.

For more information please contact: 

• Grace Ndungu, Africa Media & Communications Manager (based in Nairobi), at gndungu@mercycorps.org
• Roberta Alves, Deputy Director of Communications (based in Washington, D.C.) at ralves@mercycorps.org
• Our full media team is reachable at allmediarelations@mercycorps.org