Haitians hold their breath as newly arrived Kenyan police force prepares to face gangs

Associated Press

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Anticipation is mingling with fear across Haiti as the country welcomes the fourth major foreign intervention in its history to fight gang violence. A couple hundred police officers from Kenya met Wednesday with Prime Minister Garry Conille as they prepare to deploy in upcoming days. No one except high-ranking officials knows their assignment, which officials have said is for security reasons. Expectations are high. Haitians are scared and tired of gangs that have pillaged their way through the capital of Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas, killing, raping and kidnapping thousands of people in recent years and leaving hundreds of thousands of others homeless and unemployed, which in turn has deepened poverty.