NAIROBI, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Kenya said Thursday that 144 additional police officers to the Multinational Security Support Mission have arrived in Haiti to fight gang violence.

Cabinet Secretary in the Ministry of Interior and National Administration Onesimus Kipchumba Murkomen said the police officers, comprising 120 men and 24 women, will bolster the 600 officers deployed earlier who have already made commendable progress in reducing gang violence in the Caribbean nation.

Murkomen said other countries, notably Guatemala and El Salvador, have in recent weeks deployed additional officers.

"Together with Jamaican and Belizean troops, and supported by Haitian police, we are making concerted efforts to establish order," he said in a statement issued in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya on Thursday evening.

The forces are in Haiti to boost the United Nations-backed security mission which, despite some progress, has yet to effectively curb escalating violence.

Murkomen said Kenya's leadership in this mission, funded through the UN Trust Fund for Haiti under UN Security Council Resolution 2699, reflects the country's long-standing commitment to peacekeeping and peace support operations.

Haiti has struggled with gang violence and political instability for years. The newly deployed police officers are expected to join special units within the Haitian National Police to strengthen efforts against gang violence. Enditem

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