Two Kenyan police officers in Haiti have been seriously injured in clashes with gangs over the past week, three officers told Reuters, adding to the mission’s growing list of casualties as it comes under increasingly frequent attack.
Kenya first deployed officers last June to the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission, which currently has around 1,000 security personnel, about three-quarters of them from Kenya.
The mission, aimed at restoring enough security for Haiti to hold elections by February 2026, has faced morale issues almost from the start and uncertainty about its possible expansion amid escalating gang violence.
It suffered its first fatality in February, and the MSS reported another Kenyan officer missing last week. The three officers, who asked not to be named for fear of reprisal, said he was believed to be dead.
They said the two injuries came during routine patrols in and around the capital Port-au-Prince, which is mostly controlled by heavily armed gangs blamed for thousands of deaths since 2021.
MSS spokesperson Jack Ombaka confirmed two officers had been evacuated to the Dominican Republic for medical care.
“As in any mission, casualties are sometimes unavoidable,” he said.
Contingent of Kenyan police officers arrive to Haiti
Kenyan police officers disembark from a plane while arriving as part of a peace-keeping mission to tackle violence in Haiti, at the Toussaint Louverture International Airport, in… Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab Read more.
The three officers said the gangs were attacking them on an increasingly regular basis and complained that their equipment was inadequate.
The United States has provided most of the funding and equipment for the mission, which has struggled to secure significant contributions from other countries.
Kenya’s government has cited humanitarian reasons for its intervention in Haiti, though analysts say the deployment is also motivated by a desire to boost the country’s international profile and win favour with the United States
(Editor: Oloyede Oworu)
