PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) - Kenya sent more than 200 police officers to Haiti on Saturday, providing backup to an understaffed security mission in the Caribbean country where rampant gang violence has displaced more than a million people.

More than 200 Kenyan police officers have been sent to Haiti to assist an understaffed security mission. President William Ruto has pledged to send 1,000 troops to Haiti in support of the United Nations.

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Kenya has deployed 217 more police officers to Haiti as part of a multinational force to curb gang violence plaguing the Caribbean nation, Kenya's interior minister said on Saturday. According to the minister, Kipchumba Murkomen, the police officers departed from Kenya on Friday.

There are still significant challenges with the funding that were already there with the Biden administration.”

Kenya has deployed 217 more police officers to Haiti to provide backup to an understaffed security mission in the Caribbean country where spiralling gang violence has displaced more than a million people,

The female SWAT team comprises women who have undergone rigorous training and are designed to handle high-risk situations.

Kenyan President William Ruto said the plan is eventually to send 2,500 police officers to Haiti under the UN-backed mission.

KENYA has deployed 217 more armed police officers to join Haiti’s multinational force which is aiming to stamp out the gang violence that has plagued the Caribbean nation, interior minister Kipchumba Murkomen said on Saturday. This comes as Haitian journalists demand justice as they buried a second colleague killed by gangs.

Another 217 Kenyan police officers arrived Saturday in Haiti as part of a UN-backed mission to tackle gang violence and restore stability in that nation, the Kenyan presidency confirmed.