Police Forces in Kenya and Haiti Take on Armed Gangs
Kenyan Soldiers in Haiti, July 2024 Photo: EFE
July 17, 2024 Hour: 8:35 pm
This operation came a day after a second contingent of Kenyan police arrived in Haiti, accompanied by at least eight of the new armoured vehicles
Kenyan and Haitian police officers clashed Wednesday with several members of armed gangs in central Port-au-Prince, the first known clash of African security forces since their arrival in the country last month.
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This operation came a day after a second contingent of Kenyan police arrived in Haiti, accompanied by at least eight of the new armoured vehicles, one of which broke down.
Prior to this, some Kenyan agents paraded through the Champ de Mars, the capital’s main public square. Agents from both countries took up positions in several corners of the city centre, after which the exchange of fire took place.
This Tuesday, the second group of 200 Kenyan police officers arrived in Haiti to join the contingent of another 200 that has been in the Caribbean country since June 25 to lead the Multinational Security Support Mission (MMAS) authorized by the UN Security Council.
The contingent was received on the airport runway by a delegation of Kenyan police, including the head of the mission, Inspector Godfrey Otunga, who delivered a speech, and the Director-General of the Haitian National Police, Normil Rameau.
The UN Security Council authorized in October 2023 the dispatch of a support mission to the Haitian National Police, in response to the request made a year earlier by the country’s authorities to eradicate violence by armed gangs.
That violence caused 8,000 victims in Haiti last year, among those killed and injured, and these criminal organizations have come to control 80% of the capital, Port-au-Prince, as well as other areas of the country, according to UN figures.
Autor: OSG
Fuente: EFE
