Kenyan court allows peacekeepers for Haiti to proceed

A Kenyan court banned the measure on Friday deployment of 1,000 Kenyan police officers to Haitiallowing a multinational security force in charge of… stabilizing the chaos-stricken Caribbean island before it even got off the ground.

The force, which is backed by the United Nations and funded by the United States, had been at a standstill since October, when Kenyan opponents of the mission challenged it in court, calling it unconstitutional. The Supreme Court on Friday upheld some of these arguments, casting doubt on the latest international effort to save an impoverished country sliding deeper into violence and instability.

“An order has been issued prohibiting the deployment of Kenyan police officers to Haiti or any other country,” Judge Chacha Mwita said at the end of a judgment that took 40 minutes.

The international force was intended to help break the grip of the armed gangs that control most of Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, and have made Haiti one of the most dangerous countries in the world. The Haitian government has called for the use of foreign forces to restore order, but the United States and Canada are unwilling to deploy their own.

Kenya agreed to lead the mission last summer, with support from Washington, which pledged $200 million. The intention was for the force to eventually increase to 3,000 security officers.

But only a handful of Caribbean countries have stepped forward to contribute troops, and Friday's court order has cast the mission further into doubt. The Kenyan government is expected to appeal the decision.

André Paulte contributed reporting from Port-au-Prince, Haiti.