UN urges states in Haiti's region to join Kenya in security force

FILE PHOTO: U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks about the Black Sea grain corridor outside U.N. Security Council at U.N. headquarters in New York City, U.S., July 17, 2023. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday welcomed Kenya's readiness to lead an international force to help Haiti's police combat gang violence and encouraged other countries - particularly from Haiti's region - to join the effort.

Kenya was ready to deploy 1,000 police officers to help train and assist Haiti's police "restore normalcy in the country and protect strategic installations," Kenya's Foreign Minister Alfred Mutua said in a statement on Saturday.