A contingent of Kenyan police is set to depart for a controversial mission in Haiti to combat the influence of powerful criminal gangs that have brought turmoil and violence to the Caribbean nation.

Kenyan President William Ruto held a ceremony on Monday, wishing luck to 400 officers who will arrive in Haiti later this week in a United Nations-backed initiative, the first contingent out of 1,000 police that Kenya expects to send.

Ruto told the officers that this mission is one of the most urgent, important and historic in the history of global solidarity. He said it is a mission to affirm the universal values of the community of nations, a mission to take a stand for humanity.

Ruto and the United States have welcomed the effort after months of debate over how to address spiralling violence in Haiti, where gangs have expanded their influence, gained control over large swathes of territory and brought violence and instability to the lives of civilians.

Countries including the US and Canada have called for an international police mission, but have been hesitant to commit their own troops to a role in such an effort. A UN official said in March that at least 5,000 foreign police officers would be needed to help tackle gang violence in Haiti, far more than the total of 1,000 Kenyan police set to be deployed.