The US military said Tuesday it had begun deploying forward elements in Haiti ahead of the arrival of a Kenyan-led multinational security force in the impoverished, gang-ridden Caribbean nation facing a severe humanitarian crisis.

SOUTHCOM (‘Southern Command’, the joint US military command responsible for Latin America) ‘coordinated flights of US transports carrying contractors, materiel and supplies to Toussaint Louverture International Airport’ in the Haitian capital, Port-au- Prince, according to a press release he released.

“These personnel will work alongside Haitian airport officials to guarantee the safety of equipment and supplies arriving in Haiti,” the same source added.

“This mission is possible thanks to the continued coordination and support of Haitian actors who are trying to keep the airport open and continue operations,” the US military added.

These vanguard elements are expected to prepare the ground for the arrival of a Kenyan-led multinational armed security force. Its deployment had recently been put on hold pending the handover of power to a transitional council last week.

An AFP source in the failed government said last week that the first contingent of about 200 Kenyan police officers was expected to be in Haiti by May 23.

Asked about the deployment of this force, the representative of the State Department, Matthew Miller, emphasized that no date has been announced, for reasons of “operational security”, he added, however, that “this is something that we are trying to make a reality as soon as possible”.

The US means to provide the international force with funds, equipment and support, but not to deploy its own armed forces or police units.

Haiti has been plagued by instability and multidimensional crisis, especially political and security, for decades. But from the end of February, gangs that already ransacked and controlled much of the country, especially the capital, banded together and began launching coordinated attacks against strategic locations in Port-au-Prince, with the publicly stated goal of overthrowing the then de facto Prime Minister, Ariel Henri.

The latter has officially resigned from his duties and has now taken on the task of governing Haiti as a transitional council, with the first task of restoring public order.