Port-au-Prince, Sep 13 (V7N) – On Thursday, two dozen soldiers and police officers from Jamaica arrived in Haiti to bolster a U.N.-backed mission led by Kenya aimed at combating powerful gangs. This deployment marks Jamaica as the second country to contribute to the mission, following Kenya's initial contingent that arrived in late June.
 
In addition to the Jamaican forces, two senior military officers from Belize also joined the mission, with their arrival facilitated by a U.S. Coast Guard plane. Jamaica’s contingent comprises 20 soldiers and four police officers, tasked with providing command, planning, and logistics support.
 
The Jamaican forces will collaborate with Haiti's military and police to tackle gangs that control approximately 80% of the capital, Port-au-Prince. Although Jamaica had pledged 170 soldiers and 30 police officers, Prime Minister Andrew Holness stated that a full deployment is not feasible at this time.
 
The deployment comes amid U.S. concerns about the mission’s resource limitations, with discussions ongoing about the potential for a U.N. peacekeeping operation to provide additional support. The U.S. and Ecuador have proposed a draft resolution to begin planning for a peacekeeping force, but experts doubt its approval by the U.N. Security Council.
 
The current mission is set to include around 2,500 personnel, with additional contributions promised by the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Benin, and Chad, though their deployment timelines remain uncertain.
 
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