On Thursday, Kenyan President William Ruto pledged that Kenya’s upcoming deployment to Haiti aims to dismantle the gangs plaguing the Caribbean nation.

During a joint press conference with U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House, President Ruto emphasized Kenya’s commitment to restoring order in Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.

Ruto stated, “Gangs and criminals do not have status. They have no religion,” and assured that the international mission would address the crisis “firmly, decisively, within the perimeters of the law.”

President Biden commended Kenya’s willingness to lead the mission and promised U.S. support through intelligence and equipment. “This is a crisis. It’s able to be dealt with,” Biden asserted, praising Kenya’s “first-rate capability.”

Kenya, along with other nations participating in the deployment, aims to stabilize Haiti and end the violence inflicted by gangs.

Ruto expressed determination to “secure that country and to break the back of the gangs and the criminals that have visited untold suffering in that country.”

The Biden administration had been searching for a suitable country to lead the mission, explicitly ruling out deploying U.S. forces due to their historical interventions in Haiti.

Biden stressed the importance of providing aid without imposing American dominance, saying, “We want to do all we can without us looking like America, once again, is stepping over and deciding this is what must be done.”

Ruto clarified that Kenya’s decision to deploy troops to Haiti was independent of U.S. influence, highlighting Kenya’s role as a “responsible global citizen” committed to promoting peace and stability.

The deployment reflects President Biden’s broader strategy to avoid putting U.S. troops at risk overseas, following the withdrawal of the last U.S. troops from Afghanistan in 2021, which ended America’s longest war.