The United Nations Security Council has extended the mandate of the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission deployed in Haiti to fight anarchy.
As borne in resolution 2699 (2023), the mission's stay in the Carribean was to end at the end of October 2024.
In an update, the Kenyan National Police Service revealed the mission had been extended by a year to early October 2025.
The officers on the ground will be required to update the Security Council regularly on the progress of the mission.
Further, the UN Security Council hinted at its intent to consider a UN Peace Operation to reinforce the Haitian National Police to maintain order and sustain the gains realised by the MSS mission.
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This came a week after Kenya's President William Ruto expressed his intention to engage world leaders to strategise for the success of the mission and perhaps make it a full-time peace-keeping mission.
Ruto committed to deploying 600 more police officers to complement the 383 already on the ground.
The president said the first batch of the additional cohort, comprising 300 officers, will land in Haiti in October, with the remaining 300 arriving before the end of November.
Speaking at the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Ruto observed that the mission's main challenge was the inadequacy of funds and equipment.
He called on international partners to intervene and offer the necessary support.
The mission aims at stationing 2,500 officers by January 2025 to restore peace and order in the country.
The MSS mission, backed by the United Nations, was deployed in the Caribbean country to arrest lawlessness characterised by gang violence and establish security to allow a conducive environment for free and fair elections in future.
The mission managed to recapture a host of critical installations from the gangs, including the State University Hospital of Haiti (HUEH) and the country's main international airport.
