The Kenyan government has reportedly enlisted a battalion of evangelical pastors to guide the much-anticipated deployment of police officers to Haiti.
According to Reuters news agency, pastors with close ties to President William Ruto and his wife have advised Ruto and facilitated communication between Haitian communities and the president.
Interviews with two pastors and three evangelical leaders support this claim.
Ahead of the deployment scheduled for later this month, the pastors have engaged in various efforts, including meetings with Haitian communities in the United States, evangelical partners, U.S. government officials, and even Jimmy “Barbecue” Cherizier, Haiti’s infamous gang leader.
“We believe that we are a tool that God will use to help,” said Serge Musasilwa, a Congolese pastor in Kenya involved in mission work.
Musasilwa has previously worked on conflict resolution in the Democratic Republic of Congo and other African nations.
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Those involved in the initiative suggest that the relationships forged with Haitians will enable the Kenya-led police mission to avoid the mistakes made by previous foreign interventions in Haiti.
Previous missions failed to stabilize Haiti and left a legacy of human rights abuses and disease, notably the 2010 cholera outbreak believed to be caused by Nepali U.N. peacekeepers.
In March, First Lady Rachel Ruto held a meeting with pastors at the Weston Hotel in Nairobi, where she said they were working on a “spiritual solution” for Haiti.
“We cannot allow our police to go to Haiti without prayer,” she said.
Reuters reported that Kenyan pastors recently held a Zoom call with Haitian gang leaders, including Barbecue, a former policeman who leads an alliance of major gangs called Viv Ansanm.
Musasilwa, who led the conversation, declined to delve into specifics but expressed optimism that the conflict could be peacefully resolved after the call.
“This guy might be a devil, but there is something that we can build on,” Musasilwa added.
In March, Kenyan pastors launched a global prayer campaign for Haiti, offering a 134-page prayer guide spanning 40 days. Certain days were dedicated to prayers concerning Vodou.
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