Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness announced Tuesday that his country would send two dozen soldiers and police officers to Haiti this week to boost a U.N.-backed mission led by Kenya to fight violent gangs.

Jamaica Prime Minister Andrew Holness announced Tuesday that his nation’s long-awaited participation in the largely U.S.-funded Multinational Security Support mission in Haiti is ready to begin.

Holness said the initial group will deploy to Haiti on Thursday, and help lay out the command structure to prepare for further deployments. In March, Jamaica formally pledged 200 personnel for the U.N.

Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness announced Tuesday that his country would send two dozen soldiers and police officers to Haiti this week to boost a United Nations-backed mission led by Kenya to fight violent gangs.