Deployment of Kenyan Police to Haiti Far from Done Deal
On March 1, in Nairobi, Kenya, the acting Prime Minister of Haiti Ariel Henry and the President of Kenya William Ruto, signed a "reciprocal agreement" to give a legal veneer to the U.S.-engineered 1,000-person force of the Kenya Police as part of the UN-led Multinational Security Support Mission to occupy Haiti in the name of securing Haiti against "gang violence."
Those pushing foreign intervention into Haiti considered that once this agreement was signed, it would be smooth sailing. The agreement was required to meet the January 26 requirement of the Kenya High Court that the deployment was unconstitutional and cannot be sanctioned without a signed agreement with Haiti. At the signing on March 1, Ruto said that the deployment was "to reiterate Kenya's commitment to contribute to the success of this multi-national mission. We believe this is a historic duty because peace in Haiti is good for the world as a whole." Henry for his part said that the deployment was not only for Haiti but "for the future of humanity."
But, far from smooth sailing, Henry has been stuck in Puerto Rico after leaving Kenya on March 5 when his plane was unable to land in Haiti. Incited by the U.S., he has since said he will resign as acting Prime Minister and President when there is a "transitional council" in place.
Furthermore, Gazette Haiti reported on March 13 that Kenya's First Secretary of Foreign Affairs Korir Sing'oei said that the absence of a recognized government in Haiti does not provide ground or anchor for the mission and that Kenya would await the installation of a recognized constitutional authority before further decisions on deployment. A Ministry of Foreign Affairs official hurried to say that despite the suspension (and, not mentioned, Henry's unfortunate situation), the agreement between Henry and Ruto is still valid.
Kenyan opposition legislators for their part pointed out that the "reciprocal agreement" is illegal and therefore illegitimate because Haiti's government is an unelected one. They accused Ruto of interfering with the independence of the Kenyan judiciary and parliament and urged Kenyans to resist this attack on the country's constitution.
"The government has failed to adhere to the Constitution that they were sworn in to protect," said Kenyan opposition politician Ekuru Aukot, who added that he will file "a case of contempt of court" to challenge the "reciprocal agreement." He further pointed out that Henry has no constitutional or legal powers to commit Haiti to any agreements with Kenya.
Furthermore, while all of the U.S. machinations are going on, U.S. funds for Kenyan-led police/military intervention have yet to be authorized by either the Congress or Senate. Republican Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Michael McCaul and Senator Jim Risch, the Republican leader on the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, in a joint statement said, "Given the long history of U.S. engagement in Haiti, with few positive results, the administration owes Congress much more detail and in a more timely manner before securing more funding." They said Biden's administration had only sent them a "rough plan" to address the crisis. They also questioned whether Kenyan courts would authorize the deployment and whether the force could travel to Port-au-Prince.
Time and time again, the machinations of the Core Group are thwarted but still they persist in manipulating outcomes as can be seen with the meeting of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) where especially the U.S. but also Canada dictated what is a good "Haitian-led" democracy.
This article was published in
Volume 54 Number 20 - March 2024
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/Tmlm2024/Articles/MS54207.HTM
Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca