Why Kenya status as non-Nato ally dey important for regional security

US don select Kenya as major non-North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) ally. E dey increase dia role for regional and international security. Dis na as 1,000 of dia police officers dey plan fight wit gangs for Haiti capital of Port-au-Prince.

Dis announcement dey come as Kenya President William Ruto go US for historic state visit to follow tok wit President Joe Biden about di deployment to di Caribbean nation and oda bilateral issues.

Kenya na di fourth African kontri to get dis kain rep and na di first kontri for sub-Saharan Africa wey go get am. Dis mean say Kenya don stamp dia status gidigba say na dem be one of di closest allies to di US for Africa.

Washington don promise $200m (£157m) to Nairobi for di UN-backed Haiti mission, bicos dem get trust in Kenya for di long history wey dem don dey support regional peace initiatives wit some success.

As at now, Kenya dey oversee di peace deal wey end Ethiopia two year civil war for di northern Tigray region. Na one one US military base for Kenya coastal county of Lamu don be di koko of dose operations.

Dis trust dey important for America, as Russia and China don overtake dem most especially for parts of West Africa wia western forces don reduce dia presence by force.

Wetin dis collabo go change?

As non-Nato ally, Kenya go get ogbonge access to correct military equipment, training and loans to fit join dia military spending.

But no be by force say US go give dem direct military assistance and Kenya no need to send troops for Nato operations.

Even wit threats from al-Shabab, wey don attack Kenya plenti times, dia military spending no dey much wen you compare am to dia neighbours own for di East African Community (EAC).

Small fight-fight na normal tin for di 680 km (420 mile)-border between Somalia and Kenya.

Al-Shabab don claim some deadly high-profile attacks inside Kenya. Di attacks include di 2013 raid for di Westgate mall for di capital of Nairobi wey kill pass 70 pipo.

Since di beginning of 2024, al-Shabab don claim like 30 attacks for Kenya, according to data wey BBC Monitoring collect from di militant group media outlets.

Di attacks dey around di border counties of Lamu, Garissa, Wajir and Mandera. Most of di pipo wey don die for di attacks na Kenyan security forces.

As African Union peacekeepers dey comot Somalia by di end of dis year, Kenya dey plan to increase dia presence for di border.

Dis new status fit mean say Kenya focus for intelligence gathering and strategic deployments fit improve.

Kenya hand inside di eastern DR Congo na test of di military strength of regional force for EAC member states.

Dem see di deployment as failure bicos di troops comot less dan nine months later and insurgents dey get agidi dey go.

But US don continue to dey use Kenya to show influence ova efforts to mediate di conflict and continuous fight fight.

President Ruto dey expected to collect 16 US-made helicopters and 150 armoured vehicles.

Haiti mission

Even though Kenya get beta experience wit international peacekeeping, wey include di Sierra Leone and Liberia civil wars, Haiti na new waka.

Almost 100 gangs don turn Port-au-Prince dia war front afta dem kill President Jovenel Moise for 2021. D kasala wey make ova 300,000 pipo run comot dia house make dia Prime Minister Ariel Henry to resign dis year.

As dem dey find more ground to own, di Haitian gangs don dey also run arms race. Most of dia weapons dey come from di US, di Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Colombia.

Di UN Office on Drugs and Crime bin find out earlier dis year say di gangs get Russian AK47s, US-made AR-15s and Israeli Galil assault rifles.

US funding fit help Kenya police wey no get beta equipment and training to fit get rifles, armoured vehicles and adequate ammunition to fit face di gangs.

Wetin oda kontris wey don get dis status change don gain?

Di non-Nato ally status don upgrade di militaries of Tunisia, Morocco and Egypt well-well.

Tunisia military strength change wella wen dem get di status for 2015, wey link wit budgetary and operational reforms.

Egypt wey get one of di ogbonge armies for world don get di status since 1989 bicos na im be di koko of US diplomatic forays for North Africa and di Middle East.

Morocco don gain ogbonge experience for counterterrorism as militants for di Islamic State (IS) group wan find dia place for North Africa.

Di kingdom don dey host di largest military exercise for Africa since 2007 wey dem dey call, "African Lion".

Dis year own get 7,000 military personnel from 20 African and Nato states wey dey get tactical training.