Kenyan police officers patrolled the streets of Port-au-Prince on Wednesday, equipped with body armor and automatic weapons. This group, the first U.N.-supported foreign police unit in Haiti, arrived in June in response to a request for assistance to tackle escalating gang violence.
Currently, criminal gangs control approximately 80% of the capital, resulting in over 580,000 people being displaced in recent months. Stationed near the international airport, the officers attracted attention from onlookers but encountered no confrontations with gangs.
Haiti’s Prime Minister Garry Conille expressed gratitude for the Multinational Security Support Mission, stressing the urgent need to address the violence perpetrated by armed groups. “Haiti is at a critical juncture with 12,000 armed individuals holding a population of 12 million hostage,” stated Conille.
A contingent of hundreds of Kenyan police officers arrived in Haiti on June 25 to participate in the Multinational Security Support Mission aimed at combating armed criminal gangs and restoring peace in the country. “The deployment of the first contingent of police officers alongside Haitian law enforcement agencies should help halt the barbarity of criminal groups,” added Conille.
They will soon be joined by police and military personnel from the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Benin, Chad, and Jamaica, bringing the total number of personnel to 2,500.
María Isabel Salvador, Head of the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti, underscored the significance of this deployment in accordance with Security Council Resolution 2699, offering a glimmer of hope for the people of Haiti.