Kenyan police officers patrol as part of a peacekeeping mission, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, July 17, 2024.
A multinational Security System Support (MSS) mission operating in Haiti, led by Kenyan officers, has taken over areas that were being controlled by armed gangs.
This week, the MSS team under the command of Mr Godfrey Otunge managed to clear roadblocks erected along Road Two leading to Ganthier Town.
Speaking to the Saturday Nation, Mr Otunge said their next target is dealing with gangs within Ganthier Town.
“Efforts are now underway to unshackle Ganthier town which is infested with gangs and armed individuals who have forced locals to abandon their homes and businesses,” he said.
Kenyan police and Haitian National Police SWAT units patrol streets in armoured vehicles, in Port-au-Prince on June 28, 2024
It is worth noting that the gangs operating within Gauthier are fond of carrying out abductions targeting members of the public who speak against their operations.
So bad was the situation that at some point locals gathered against the gangs but could not manage to wipe them out of the town as the members were armed with sophisticated weapons.
For the last seven days, two State officials had paid a visit to a camp located in Port-au-Prince, which is the capital city of the troubled Caribbean nation.
To start with, Mr Leslie Voltaire, the head of a Presidential Transition Council which is tasked with ensuring that elections are held in Haiti in the next two years visited the Kenyan officers where he asked them to assist the government to gain full control.
It is the Council that settled on Dr Garry Conille to be the Prime Minister following the resignation of Mr Ariel Henry due to an upsurge in criminal activities in Haiti that saw tens of thousands of people displaced. Mr Henry resigned in March 2024.
“We want to thank the Kenyan Government led by President William Ruto for hearing the cry raised by the people of Haiti and sending troops of officers that will assist in addressing the gang menace here,” Mr Voltaire said.
Mr Voltaire was also accompanied by the Director-General of the Haitian National Police, Rameau Normil and held a meeting with Mr Otunge where they discussed how the Kenyan team will be operating within Haiti.
The council's head also promised that he would make another visit to the Camp in September to see the progress of the mission and officers at large.
Meanwhile, local media in Haiti reported that Mr Jimmy Cherizier alias Barbecue, a dreaded Haiti gang leader, had signed a peace treaty to end the gang violence in the country.
According to Le Nouvelliste, a news outlet in Haiti, the peace agreement was signed between gang leaders in a closed-door meeting that took place on Thursday.
Barbecue has been at the forefront calling for peace as he urged the Prime Minister to hold a meeting with gang leaders.
However, Mr Conille has maintained that he will only give them an ear if they surrender the deadly weapons in their possession.
On July 23, the United States of America envoy to the United Nations also visited the camp and announced that Sh7.8 billion will be given as aid to assist in the Mission.
Ambassador Linda Thomas Greenfield said that the donation will assist the country’s people and also deal with the challenges that have been caused by the gangs.
“The aid will fill critical gaps in nutrition, food security and shelter and improve water and sanitation services, among other support,” said the Ambassador.
In addition to the weapons that the US had donated, through the country’s Department of Defense, they will also go on providing a significant number of mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles to the international security mission.
PM Conille joins troops
In addition, the Prime Minister has been visiting the camp and also joining the Kenyan officers in conducting patrols within various parts of the country.
The Saturday Nation has also established that Jamaica will be the second country to send its troops to Haiti.
This comes just days after six top military officers from Jamaica left Haiti after conducting a research on how the MSS Mission was going on so far.
“We expect the Jamaican military officers to be arriving here in the coming days. It will be the second country to send troops to Haiti,” Mr Otunge told the Nation.
Mr Otunge who is the commander of the mission will be deputised by an officer from Jamaica.
Other countries that will be sending their troops to Haiti include; Benin, the Bahamas, Belize, Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda.
Others are Bangladesh, Algeria, Canada, France, Germany, Trinidad and Tobago. Turkey, the United Kingdom (UK) and Spain.
