Why Kenya’s non-Nato ally status is crucial for regional security

Kenya is the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to enter the special military alliance with the US.

British Broadcasting CorporationWatchRegisterSign InHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureTravelEarthVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUK General ElectionIndia ElectionUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC VerifySportBusinessFuture of BusinessTechnology of BusinessWork CultureInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureTravelEarthVideoLiveAudioWeatherWhy Kenya’s non-Nato ally status is crucial for regional security1 day agoBeverly Ochieng,BBC Monitoring, NairobiShareEPAAs a non-Nato ally, Kenya will have privileged access to sophisticated military equipment and training from the USKenya’s designation as a major non-North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) ally by the US elevates its role in regional and international security at a time when 1,000 of its police officers prepare to battle gangs in Haiti’s besieged capital, Port-au-Prince.

The announcement came as Kenya's President William Ruto embarked on a historic state visit to the US to discuss with President Joe Biden the much-awaited deployment to the Caribbean nation and other bilateral issues.

Kenya becomes just the fourth African nation to attain the status, and the first in sub-Saharan Africa, cementing Kenya’s status as one of the US’s closest allies on the continent.

Washington pledged $200m (£157m) to Nairobi for the UN-backed Haiti mission, drawing confidence from Kenya’s long history of supporting regional peace initiatives, with relative success.

Kenya is currently overseeing a peace deal that ended Ethiopia’s two-year civil war in the northern Tigray region. Mr Ruto has also been mediating among countries in the Great Lakes region deeply divided by the chronic rebel insurgency in eastern DR Congo.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp4421nx727o

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