Benin mulls sending 2,000 troops to aid Haiti in gang violence battle

The Republic of Benin has pledged to deploy 2,000 troops to Haiti as part of a multinational peacekeeping forceto help the Caribbean nation's police fight armed gangs. Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US Ambassador to the United Nations on Monday made this known during a press conference in Guyana.

The announcement also comes on the heels of the United States committing US$200 million in support, marking a significant international effort to restore peace and democracy in Haiti without direct military involvement. 

The United Nations in October authorized the mission, a year after Haiti`s unelected government made the request. 

Since then, the offers to support the security force, based on voluntary contributions, have come mostly from developing nations in Africa and the Caribbean.

Kenya, which was the first nation in Africa to respond to the request has pledged to lead the mission, offering 1,000 police officers, but a local court later barred the move as unconstitutional. President William Ruto has however vowed the plan will go ahead.

Some Caribbean countries that had pledged support had called for more Francophone nations to join the effort.