US State Secretary Antony Blinken discusses Haiti crisis with Kenyan President William Ruto
Antony Blinken, spoke with Kenyan President William Ruto on Saturday to discuss the ongoing political and security crisis in Haiti.
During their conversation, both leaders reiterated their commitment to ensuring free and fair elections in the region.
«Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke with Kenyan President William Ruto to discuss the ongoing political and security crisis in Haiti. They underscored unwavering commitment to the deployment of a Multinational Security Support mission to support the Haitian National Police in creating the security conditions necessary to conduct free and fair elections,» US Department of State official spokesperson, Matthew Miller said in an official statement.
«Secretary Blinken also offered his appreciation for Kenya's diplomatic work to support peace and security in the Horn of Africa,» he added.
This came after Haitian gang leader Jimmy Cherizier warned of initiating a civil war and «genocide» unless Prime Minister Ariel Henry steps down from his post, reported Al Jazeera.
Jimmy Cherizier, also known as Barbecue, and other armed criminal gangs, who control large swathes of the country, launched a coordinated assault to remove the prime minister when he was out of the country last week.
Haitian PM Henry, who was supposed to step down in February, was in Puerto Rico, a United States territory, on Tuesday after the Dominican Republic refused permission for his plane to land.
Notably, the Dominican Republic shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, Al Jazeera reported.
