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jeudi 28 septembre 2023

Deploying Kenyan police in Haiti is Unconstitutional

The issue of Haiti is now with the UN Security Council awaiting its Resolution. In Summary •It is also in the public domain that the US government has praised Kenya for the action it is about to undertake •Our Constitution is also aware that our executive and the entire political leadership of our country has since independence acted as agents of neocolonialism and imperialism.
The Constitution is very clear that our foreign policy has to comply with the decrees of the Constitution. Foreign policy decisions by the government are unconstitutional when they violate any of the provisions of the Constitution.
Article 1 of our Constitution decrees that all sovereign power belongs to us, the Kenyan people.
Indeed, sovereign power is delegated to the national executive and can be exercised directly by the Kenyan people themselves. In exercising that power directly we demand that our sovereignty must never be used to subvert the sovereignty of another country without our participation and ultimate consent.
Article 10 of our Constitution provides for our national values and principles of governance. The values and principles implicated in the issue of Haiti are the following: patriotism, rule of law, participation of the people, inclusiveness, transparency and accountability.
The government by unilaterally sending a pre-mission of 10 people to Haiti to prepare the ground to send 1000 police women and men to Haiti before involving the Kenyan people, or their representatives in Parliament and Senate violated our sovereign power and the constitutional values and principles of governance. The issue of Haiti is now with the UN Security Council awaiting its Resolution.
There is no doubt that Kenya will deploy these troops if the Security Council approves the resolution. It is also in the public domain that the US Government has praised Kenya for the action it is about to undertake. Under our 2010 Constitution, our foreign policy is not exempt from its provisions.
The Constitution was passed to reign in an executive that was authoritarian, opaque, and known to continuously subvert the will of the Kenyan people. That is the political mischief and non-accountability of the executive that the Constitution sought to cure.
Since the promulgation of the Constitution on August 27, 2010, our executive has found the Constitution inconvenient for its dictatorial proclivities. Examples of violations of the rule of law by the executive are legion.
Public interest litigation has been used to resist the executive’s violations of the Constitution.
There have been many petitions filed in the High Court to seek compliance with the supreme law, the Constitution.
Our Constitution is also aware that our executive and the entire political leadership of our country has since independence acted as agents of neocolonialism and imperialism.
Neither the sovereign power of Kenyans nor the values and principles of governance were supposed to be abstract.
The Constitution expects the executive to constantly breathe life into these provisions.
The executive, under these provisions, is expected to resist foreign interests in our name if they violate our sovereign power and values.
Our political leadership and the executive it oversees are so loyal to foreign interests that it has not, even once, sought the help of the Kenyan people to resist foreign interests that seek to exploit, dominate, colonize, occupy, and humiliate our Motherland.
This class, the compradors which we also call the homewards, and Walalahai/Mabwenyenye/mafutamingis in Kiswahili has never sought the people’s help in this patriotic endeavour.
This explains why Haiti, trade pacts, foreign investments, and borrowings are done behind the backs of Kenyans.
And this is unconstitutional.
Foreign countries that subvert the dictates of our Constitution should not expect the Kenyan people to pay the unconstitutional loans that they gave the compradors in violation of the Constitution.
It is the same countries that pontificate about democracy, human rights, social justice, and the rule of law.
It smirks at double standards, hypocrisy, perfidy, and racism to validate these values as universal and then deny them to Kenyans.
We resist this inhuman imperialism which is done in the names of the American, European, Japanese, and Chinese people without their consent either.
Countries that oppress others also oppress their people.
That is why the 21st century is about the global solidarity of the people of the planet to rid it of the great inhumanity we all face economically, ecologically, socially, politically, spiritually, and culturally.
Kenyans must demand that our policemen should not be sent to Haiti.
We should demand that our 2010 Constitution should not be disobeyed and subverted.
We refuse a foreign policy in our name that we have not consented to. We demand that Kenya should stop fighting proxy wars for imperialism. We must also demand that the UN and the US must respect our sovereignty and our Constitution.
It is expected that these demands will not heeded so I suggest the human rights organizations doing public interest litigation should proceed to the High Court and get orders that the 1000 police women and men should not be deployed in Haiti. The constitutional arguments are clear.
And some questions for BABA: you have not been away when these matters and events have been taking place. Are these not issues that concern you? Are these not issues for mass action?
I note that you have said nothing about the trade pact being negotiated between Kenya and the US that we have not been allowed to participate in.
I believe it is abundantly clear what I have always argued in my column here, that our political leaders in the two political factions delight in being compradors.
History records Kenyans have had the will and the capacity to resist matters that are not in the national interest.
Kenyans will soon realize they are on their own because both the government and the opposition are birds of the same political feather.
https://www.the-star.co.ke/opinion/2023-09-28-mutunga-deploying-kenyan-police-in-haiti-is-unconstitutional/

Ex-CS Wamalwa questions Haiti mission amid al Shabaab threat

Kenya has offered to deploy 1,000 police officers to Haiti to battle criminal gangs. In Summary • Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua said on Tuesday the officers have already started learning French.
• In a press statement at his office, Mutua said the government has started planning logistics, required equipment and psychological preparedness for the personnel. Whereas Wamalwa welcomed the Kenya-US cooperation on defence, he said it beats logic that Kenya has offered to help Haiti deal with growing insecurity by criminal gangs while the Somali-based militants still pose a risk to the country.
"Strengthening of Kenya-US Defence cooperation framework and partnership in the war against terror, during Lloyd Austin visit, is welcome, but Kenyans are asking whether it’s in our National interest to deploy our officers to Haiti while facing resurgent al Shabaab insecurity and economic crisis," Wamalwa said in a statement Tuesday evening.
Kenya has offered to deploy 1,000 police officers to Haiti as part of Multinational Security Support with the deployment expected in October should the United Nations Security Council approve the deployment.
But even as the country awaits the deployment, Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua said on Tuesday the officers have already started learning French.
In a press statement at his office, Mutua said the government has started planning logistics, required equipment and psychological preparedness for the personnel.
"We expect the UN mandate within the next few weeks. After that, we will deploy to Haiti. We have also started teaching some of our officers French as well," the CS said. Kenya will receive $100 million (Sh14.7 billion) from the United States of America in support of the mission, Mutua said, assuring that no taxpayer funds will be used on the mission.
He spoke a day after his Defence counterpart Aden Duale signed the Kenya-US Defence Cooperation Framework with US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin. The framework defines the collaborative role of the two countries in combating their shared security challenges.
On Tuesday, Duale accompanied Lloyd to the Kenya Navy Base in Manda which equally hosts the US Forces.
"We were pleased with the synergy exhibited by our two Forces in executing their mandates. Further, we underscored the importance of this mutual relation in fostering regional and international peace and security," he said.
Back to Haiti, the former French colony has been experiencing an upsurge in crime rates perpetrated by organised criminal gangs that have caused havoc in the country for decades.
Former US special envoy to Haiti Daniel Foote said in a previous interview that the gangs were started by former leader Jean-Bertrande Aristide in the 1980s to offer protection rackets "as a way to get some power" for ordinary Haitians.
But the gangs called Chimères, have since morphed after former soldiers from the Haitian military which was disbanded under Aristide’s second period in office between 1994 to 1996, joined in.
UN peacekeepers failed to contain the gangs from growing with the 2010 earthquake further worsening the situation after imprisoned gang members escaped and either joined old neighbourhood gangs or formed new groups
. The latest attack was reported on Tuesday in Mirebalais, a commune in the Centre department of Haiti, approximately 60 km northeast of the capital Port-au-Prince.
Reports indicate that armed individuals attacked the Hopital Universitaire de Mirebalais, one of the main hospitals in the country.
Gangs also attacked a police station in the nearby town of Saut-d'Eau, killing at least ten people on Friday, September 22.
A draft document by the US indicates that Kenya's role in Haiti will be three-pronged; provision of operational support against gangs, guarding installations and training Haitian police.
https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2023-09-26-ex-cs-wamalwa-questions-haiti-mission-amid-al-shabaab-threat/

Tread with caution in push for Haiti mission

Sunday, September 24, 2023 By Editorial The choice of Kenya to lead the UN Haiti peace mission is a vote of confidence in its role in international diplomacy. However, the 1,000 Kenyan police officers will be going into a country that has reached a breaking point while other nations have opted out of the risky business. Haiti descended into chaos in July 2021 after mercenaries assassinated President Jovenel Moïse. Today, armed gangs control more than 80 per cent of the capital, Port-au-Prince, where our police officers will be based. They will join and lead about 10,000 Haiti police overpowered by marauding gangs. The Kenyans will be heading a UN unit to stabilise a country that has been left at the mercy of unruly mobs. For a country that has distinguished itself in international peacekeeping, this is yet another assignment it is determined to deliver. President William Ruto sought a unified approach to solve the Haiti crisis during the just-concluded 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. As President Ruto put it, Kenya is committed to helping people still suffering from a bitter legacy of slavery, colonialism, sabotage and neglect. This case is the ultimate test of international solidarity and collective action. Haitians have been let down by the international community, which has left the South American nation in utter despair. Kenya’s engagement took a major step forward following a high-powered fact-finding mission after President Ruto agreed to get fully involved and help resolve the Haiti crisis sparked by political instability, a devastating earthquake and humanitarian challenges. However, this is a potentially dangerous situation that Kenya is getting into, but which calls for caution. Already, the country is engaged in the African Union mission to stabilise Somalia, which remains a big burden. This new Kenya-led UN mission should be carefully handled to avoid getting entangled in another deadly mess. Haiti has been ravaged by political instability, a devastating earthquake and humanitarian challenges that require international support to address numerous issues. There is widespread poverty, food shortages, inadequate healthcare and limited access to education, human rights abuses and corruption. The people urgently need basic services, including water, sanitation and electricity.

Mission Haiti no walk in the park, Kenya told

Valerie Baeriswyl | AFP
By Francis Mureithi & Aggrey Mutambo
Kenya may be part of the Multinational Security Support (MSS) Mission to Haiti as soon as November if the United Nations Security Council approves the deployment. According to a draft text fronted by the US and backed by Ecuador, Kenya’s role will be in a three-part service – providing operational support against gangs, guarding installations and training Haitian police.
Residents protest the killing of six police officers by armed gangs in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on January 26. The officers died in the town of Liancourt on January 25 after a fierce battle with gunmen who had tried to take over a police station.
Richard Pierrin| AFP
The offers and process of seeking approvals look legally sound, but come on the back of questions, top of which is whether the MSS is any different from the previous five foreign missions in Haiti.
Also read: Nearly 90 dead in Haiti gang violence, as country slides into chaos
The UN, the US, Canada and France have deployed soldiers to Haiti before.
“People face attacks by armed gangs controlling areas in the capital or provincial towns. They assassinate, set fires, steal and abuse with cruelty. They drive citizens from their homes, block roads and force schools, hospitals and businesses to close,” Haitian PM Ariel Henry told the UN on Friday.
Celebrated for becoming the first Black majority country to defeat slavers and colonialists in the 19th century, Haiti’s history has been replete with coups, criminal gangs and assassination of presidents.
President Juvenal Moïse was shot dead at his palace in Porto au Prince in July 2021.

President Ruto meets with Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry for bilateral talks in New York
The MSS has been endorsed by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the regional bloc to which Haiti is a member. Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas and Jamaica pledged personnel for the mission.
President William Ruto this week said the world had let Haiti down.
“Haiti deserves better. The cry of our brothers and sisters...has reached our ears and touched our hearts. Doing nothing is out of question,” he told the UN General Assembly on Thursday.
“Inaction is no longer an option. As we mobilise to show up for Ukraine, and countries that have experienced the devastating impact of climate shocks including Libya, Morocco and Hawaii, we must not leave Haiti behind.”
Previous missions left a bitter taste in the mouths of Haitians and the Caribbean.
David Abdulah, a member of the Regional Executive Committee of the Assembly of the Caribbean People, says Haiti’s experience means the MSS may make the crisis worse. “It is clear that Kenya is being promoted as a proxy since the countries of the Core Group – the US, Canada and France – recognise that resentment to their military intervention would be immense,” he wrote on behalf of the Assembly to the CARICOM, on September 5.
“We need to appreciate the dynamics of the Haitian society and the fact that there is an elite that wields significant power. Henry and any successor to him established through an electoral process that is not free or fair will enable the elites maintain their hold on power – to the satisfaction of the Core Group.”
Kenya has not explained the direct benefits it would accrue from the mission.
“The stability and prosperity of Haiti would not only be beneficial to her neighbours and the region but would be a force for good for global peace and security architecture,” Foreign Affairs and Diaspora CS Alfred Mutua said on Friday.
US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken said the US would provide $100 million in direct support to MSS, if Congress approves.
“Our Department of Defence is prepared to provide robust enabling support – including planning assistance, intelligence support, airlift, communications and medical support,” Blinken said and called on more donors to join.
When CARICOM endorsed the MSS in July, protests ensued in Haiti. Gangs in Haiti called for Henry’s removal on Friday.
Also read: Troubled Haiti set to get election results
The MSS has been opposed by some activists in the US. The Black Alliance for Peace, a rights lobby, accuses Kenya of insisting on leading “a foreign armed intervention in Haiti”.
“It is nothing more than military occupation. An occupation of Haiti by an African country is not Pan-Africanism, but Western imperialism in Black face,” the group said. “The Kenyan government is assisting in undermining the sovereignty and self-determination of Haitian people, while serving the neo-colonial interests of the US, the Core Group and the UN.”
Blinken said the US has learnt from past missions.
“We remain mindful of the lessons from previous missions in Haiti, including the need to safeguard rights and to promote accountability,” he said.
“We also recognise that improved security must be accompanied by progress to resolve the political crisis.”
The US already asked its nationals to leave Haiti.
Henry told the UN that he is ready to allow a peaceful democratic process and see young people and women play a role in civil society.
“Only a legitimate government elected in free, honest, democratic and transparent elections will have the strength to tackle the economic, territorial, social and institutional challenges we face,” he said.
https://nation.africa/kenya/news/mission-haiti-no-walk-in-the-park-kenya-told-4378664

Kenya faces tough and dangerous test in Haiti

Richard Pierrin | AFP By The Watchman Haiti test • Shouldn’t the US, which is a superpower located near Haiti, have been the first to send police to the violence-riddled country instead of pushing for Kenya to do so, asks Henry Ruhiu. “Why did Kenya, which is thousands of kilometres away, agree to send its police officers?” Henry wonders whether this country is not being turned into a guinea pig. His contact is henryruhiu56@gmail.com.

Vicepresidenta califica positivo llamado de la OEA ante crisis haitiana

Peña destacó que el método ideal para que ambos estados puedan lograr el entendimiento es a través del diálogo. ÁNGEL VALDEZSanto Domingo, RD Actualizada jueves, 28 de septiembre de 2023 - 12:23 La vicepresidenta Raquel Peña, valoró este jueves de manera positiva el comunicado publicado por la Organización de los Estados Americanos (OEA), donde llamó a República Dominicana y Haití establecer un mecanismo de diálogo para solucionar la crisis diplomática. Peña destacó que el método ideal para que ambos estados puedan lograr el entendimiento es a través de la conversación. “Lo que buscamos es el diálogo, esa es la posición de la República Dominicana, un diálogo franco”, manifestó Peña. Además, la vicemandataria declaró que las autoridades dominicanas esperan recibir a representantes de la OEA para que conozcan la situación del conflicto fronterizo. “Esperamos que vengan, pero lo más importante es que podamos sentarnos en una mesa para discutir el tema y buscar una solución”, enfatizó. Aunque los intermediarios visiten a las instancias diplomáticas de las dos naciones, Peña aseguró que el presidente Luis Abinader continuará velando por el respeto de la Constitución dominicana. Asimismo, reiteró que, al igual como señala el jefe de Estado, en el territorio dominicano no se le permitirá el acceso a los “incontrolables” que atemorizan en Haití. “Voy a repetir algo de lo que él tanto ha dicho. Si hay incontrolables de aquel lado, de este lado no lo vamos a permitir”, expresó Peña. Estas declaraciones fueron ofrecidas durante la inauguración de la “Primera Feria Internacional sobre la Familia y la Igualdad”, realizada por el Tribunal Constitucional, Familia y la Igualdad, donde abarcarán actividades formativas dirigidas a promover la protección de los derechos de la niñez y los valores familiares. Milton Ray Guevara, titular de la entidad institucional, acotó que este evento promete ser único en su categoría, ya que el objetivo principal es impulsar la unión familiar. Al igual que fomentar los derechos de la familia como fundamento de la sociedad y espacio básico del desarrollo integral de las personas. https://listindiario.com/la-republica/gobierno/20230928/vicepresidenta-califica-positivo-llamado-oea-crisis-haitiana_775075.html

LA PRESSE ETRANGERE EN PARLE......Bandidos armados matan funcionario del gobierno haitiano

El hecho sucedio cerca del Tribunal de Primera Instanca de Mirebalais Actualizada miércoles, 27 de septiembre de 2023 - 16:37 Diversos medios haitianos informaron el asesinato del comisario adjunto del Gobierno haitiano cerca del Tribunal de Primera Instancia de Mirebalais, Me Québex Jean, la noche de este martes. Según medio como la Radio RFM 104.9 de Haití, el comisario haitiano fue asesinado por bandidos armados. “Asesinato anoche al norte del PAP del sustituto del Comisario de Gobierno cerca del Tribunal de Primera Instancia de Mirebalais Québex Jean según fuentes.La víctima fue asesinada a tiros en su residencia, precisan estas fuentes”, indicaron mediante un tuit el referido medio de comunicación. Al igual que la radio, distintos medios haitianos han publicado la información. Sin embargo, desde los entes oficiales no han ofrecido detalles sobre el suceso. https://listindiario.com/las-mundiales/haiti/20230927/bandidos-armados-matan-funcionario-gobierno-haitiano_774958.html

ONU describe caos en Haití y urge a una intervención internacional

El informe de la ONU habla sobre la grave crisis política y de seguridad que vive Haití, donde al menos 2,439 personas han muerto en lo que va de año Actualizada jueves, 28 de septiembre de 2023 - 07:42 La Oficina de la ONU para los Derechos Humanos publicó un informe sobre la grave crisis política y de seguridad que vive Haití, donde al menos 2.439 personas han muerto en lo que va de año por la violencia de bandas, y concluye que hay una necesidad urgente de intervención internacional. "Con apoyo y decisión internacional, el pueblo haitiano puede enfrentar esta grave inseguridad y buscar una salida al caos", destacó en un comunicado el alto comisionado de la ONU para derechos humanos, Volker Türk, con ocasión de la publicación del informe, que se debatirá en el Consejo de Derechos Humanos el 10 de octubre. El documento ha sido elaborado por el experto William O'Neill, designado por Türk para analizar la situación de Haití, país que visitó el pasado mes de junio, y muestra una descarnada imagen de la situación que vive el país caribeño, donde también se han registrado al menos 951 secuestros por bandas este año. Estas bandas, originalmente milicias contratadas por políticos y empresarios para su propia seguridad, "han evolucionado hasta ser grupos autónomos que controlan grandes extensiones de territorio", señala el texto. Estas bandas estarían detrás de los al menos 32 asesinatos de policías que ha habido este año, ocupan desde 2021 el Palacio de Justicia de la capital Puerto Príncipe, y, en resumen, "han convertido en insoportable la vida de muchos en la capital y otras partes del país". La brutalidad de estas bandas, que reciben armas normalmente por vía marítima desde Miami (EE.UU.) y en menor medida a través de la frontera con la República Dominicana, va en aumento, indica el informe que cita los nombres de algunas de ellas, como los grupos Village-de-Dieu (Ciudad de Dios) o G9. "Han llegado a mutilar y quemar personas en público, mostrando después esas horribles imágenes en las redes sociales", indica el documento, que también denuncia numerosas violaciones a mujeres y niñas secuestradas por estos grupos (las abducciones se han multiplicado por cuatro este año). Operando sobre todo en Puerto Príncipe, estas bandas finalmente afectan a todo Haití, al controlar carreteras que prácticamente han dejado aislada la península sur del país (afectada por un grave terremoto en 2021) o han dificultado la comunicación con la frontera haitiano-dominicana. A la vista de ese informe, Türk considera que es necesario impulsar "una misión multinacional de apoyo en materia de seguridad" para ayudar a la policía nacional haitiana, cuyo número de efectivos, unos 13.000, apenas alcanza la mitad de lo recomendado por los expertos para un país de 11 millones de habitantes. Esa misión, que ha reclamado a la ONU el propio Gobierno haitiano, desbordado por la inseguridad, "debe incluir mecanismos de supervisión que informen de su comportamiento, con el fin de prevenir y responder a posibles explotaciones sexuales y abusos", alerta el informe hecho público hoy. Movimientos "justicieros" El texto también denuncia que ante la inseguridad en el país también se han incrementado las acciones de ciudadanos que intentan tomarse la justicia por su mano, con ejecuciones sumarias de presuntos miembros de bandas armadas o sus cómplices, unidos en el movimiento de autodefensa "Bwa Kalé" ("madera pelada" en criollo). Ese movimiento "muestra la falta de confianza de la población en el Estado", concluye el informe, recordando que la corrupción política y policial, la inacción política y otros factores han sido caldo de cultivo para la situación límite que vive el país. El informe recuerda que un 90 por ciento de los haitianos vive por debajo del umbral de pobreza, casi la mitad de la población sufre malnutrición aguda y el número de personas que requieren ayuda humanitaria creció de 2,6 millones en 2019 a 4,9 millones (un 43 % del total de habitantes) en 2022. https://listindiario.com/las-mundiales/haiti/20230928/onu-describe-caos-haiti-urge-intervencion-internacional_775060.html