International

Kenyan President announces sending another 600 soldiers to help Haiti’s security

The President of Kenya, William Ruto, announced this Saturday the arrival of another 600 troops from his country to join the Multinational Security Support Mission (MMSS), which, under the leadership of his nation, began deploying three months ago in impoverished Haiti to help the Police face the bloody armed gangs.

Ruto arrived this Saturday at the airport of the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, where he was received by the president of the Presidential Transitional Council (CPT), Edgard Leblanc Fils; the director of the National Police, Normil Rameau; and Ketleen Florestal, interim prime minister in the absence of Garry Conille, who traveled to New York to participate in the UN General Assembly, where the Kenyan president will travel after this Saturday’s visit to Haiti.

The Kenyan leader declared that his visit to Haiti had two objectives: the first to meet and share ideas with the Haitian authorities, and the second to visit the base of the security support mission in Haiti, where, as he said in a press conference with Leblanc Fils, he saw “a lot of progress” after the deployment of the mission, which costs the approval of the UN.

Ruto admitted that many people were critical and pessimistic about the mission, approved in October 2023 in response to the request made a year earlier by the Haitian authorities to eradicate the violence of armed gangs.

And that spirit of “dout, criticism and pessimism” still persists because the mission should already have 2,500 agents, but currently there are only 400 Kenyans.

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With the arrival of these, he said, there is much more security at the airport, the National Palace, the State University Hospital of Haiti, the Police Academy and also the ports.

“Now we are working to reopen the roads in order to open the country a little more,” said the Kenyan ruler, who said that the spirit of “skepticism, doubts and criticism” is beginning to decrease.

However, he maintained that the force needs the resources and equipment to guarantee security in the country.

“The troops we have in Haiti are not enough. We should have 2,500 men and women in this force. We only have 400. We also have logistical problems. We lack resources. We don’t have enough tools to continue the work,” he said.

But “there is good news. Many more countries are beginning to commit to helping Haiti. There will be a deployment of 20 other countries that have committed to sending people to join the multinational force.”

Kenya will send another 300 people in October, and the same number will arrive in November, he promised.

“The job is difficult, but we are capable of doing it,” he said, pointing out that Kenya is very motivated to help Haiti.

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For his part, Leblanc Fils said that the force “has begun to give results,” but that “it is necessary to strengthen the mission by increasing the number of troops and teams, so that it can achieve its objective and allow the State to resume responsibility for the country’s security after this support.”

The deployment of the MMSS began on July 25, with the arrival of 400 Kenyan police, who have subsequently been joined by soldiers from Jamaica and Belize.

The security situation has not recorded significant improvements in Haiti, while by the end of September countries such as the Bahamas, Barbados, Bangladesh, Chad, Benin and Belize are expected to send troops to the country, completing about 2,500 soldiers and police.

Last year, the violence caused, between deaths and injuries, eight thousand victims in Haiti, where criminal groups have come to control 80% of the capital, Port-au-Prince, as well as other areas of the country, according to UN figures.

In the first half of 2024, victims of violence already rose to almost 3,900, according to a report by the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (Binuh).

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International

Trump Floats “Friendly Takeover” of Cuba Amid Rising Tensions

U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that his administration is considering what he described as a “friendly takeover” of Cuba, as Washington continues to increase pressure on the island’s communist government.

“The Cuban government is talking to us and they have very serious problems, as you know. They have no money, they have nothing at this moment, but they are talking to us and maybe we will see a friendly takeover of Cuba,” Trump told reporters as he departed the White House for a trip to Texas.

Earlier in the week, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Cuba needed a “radical change,” shortly after Washington eased restrictions on oil exports to the island for what officials described as “humanitarian reasons,” amid a deep economic crisis.

The United States has imposed an energy blockade on Cuba since January, citing what it calls an “extraordinary threat” posed by the communist-run island, located roughly 150 kilometers (90 miles) off the coast of Florida, to U.S. national security.

International

Argentina’s Senate Reviews Milei-Backed Labor Overhaul

Argentina’s Senate on Friday began reviewing the Labor Modernization Law promoted by the administration of President Javier Milei, a proposal that would significantly reshape labor rules across the country.

The upper chamber opened its final discussion of the contentious initiative, which revises the method used to calculate severance payments — lowering the amounts owed in dismissal cases — and introduces an “hour bank” mechanism that allows overtime to be offset with paid leave rather than extra wages.

The legislation also broadens the classification of essential services, a change that would place new limits on the right to strike in designated sectors.

The bill was initially approved by the Senate on February 11 and then moved to the Chamber of Deputies, where lawmakers passed it with amendments. It has now returned to the Senate for definitive approval.

Outside the Congress building in Buenos Aires, workers, trade unions and left-wing organizations staged demonstrations beginning at midday. The gathering later thinned out amid reports of disturbances and a strong police presence. Security forces had secured the area surrounding the legislature since early morning hours.

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Union leaders contend that the reform weakens labor protections, while many business representatives back the measure but stress that sustainable formal employment will require economic expansion, improved credit conditions, greater investment and a more dynamic domestic market.

International

Federal Judge Blocks Trump Policy Allowing Deportations to Third Countries

A federal judge ruled on Wednesday that the policy of U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration allowing immigration authorities to deport foreign nationals to third countries without prior notice or the opportunity to object is unlawful. The decision marks another legal setback for the administration on immigration matters.

Judge Brian Murphy of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts struck down the regulation issued last year, which stated that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was not required to notify migrants if they were to be sent to countries other than the one listed in their removal order, provided that receiving nations offered assurances they would not face persecution or torture.

Murphy ordered the measure vacated but granted a 15-day delay before the ruling takes effect, giving the Trump administration time to file an appeal.

In his decision, the judge concluded that the policy violates federal immigration law and migrants’ due process rights. He also questioned the lack of transparency surrounding the alleged assurances provided by receiving countries, stating that “no one really knows anything about these supposed ‘assurances.’” He added, “It is not right, and it is not lawful.”

The ruling follows several legal disputes involving deportations to third countries. Last year, the executive branch deported more than 200 Salvadorans to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador, invoking an old wartime law. The White House also held talks with Costa Rica, Panama, and Rwanda about receiving migrants who are not citizens of those countries.

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In May, the same judge determined that the government violated a court order when it attempted to remove a group of immigrants with criminal records to South Sudan without prior notice or an opportunity to raise claims of fear of persecution.

Although President Donald Trump took the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, which temporarily allowed the deportations to resume while a final decision was pending, the White House is expected to again appeal to higher courts to overturn this latest judicial ruling.