Kenyan Police In Haiti Face First Heavy Gunfight On A Port-au-Prince Street
Kenyan police in Haiti engaged in a gun battle while patrolling a deserted street in the Caribbean country.
Officers have been patrolling Haiti’s streets in heavily armoured vehicles.
In a video obtained by AfricasNow, the officers were patrolling an empty street in a convoy of five vehicles.
The area is deserted and appears to have been ravaged by previous heavy fighting, with many buildings destroyed.
One officer was on the ground, directing the movement of the vehicles when a heavy gunfight broke out.
Shots are fired as the few people remaining in the area flee for safety.
It was unclear from the video whether Kenyan officers had been attacked.
The General Service Unit’s Recce team has been patrolling the local streets and port as part of their gang-fighting mandate.
In early July, the officers received the necessary equipment to improve their operations. The equipment included armoured personnel carriers and helicopters.
Officials said the team also received protective gear that they will use during their operations in the troubled country.
Since their arrival in Haiti, the officers have worked closely with their hosts, the Haitian National Police.
The officers are said to have conducted strategic mapping of key operational concerns, as well as several joint patrols in Port-au-Prince, the gang-controlled capital.
On June 24, President William Ruto flagged off the first tranche of Kenya’s 1,000 troops to be deployed to Haiti under the Multinational Security Support Mission.
🇭🇹 Long-awaited #police reinforcements have touched down in #Haiti on Tuesday, bolstering PM #GarryConille in his bid to rid the country of #gang #violence.
— FRANCE 24 English (@France24_en) June 26, 2024
🇰🇪 The operation, led by #Kenya, is the first time any #African nation has led such a mission outside the continent ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/Y3KXmVjKXz
The mission was approved by the United Nations Security Council on October 2, 2023, under Resolution 2699.
Kenyan officers are in Haiti to assist in combating marauding gangs that have taken over large areas of the Caribbean country.
The Kenyan police will be joined on the mission by teams from Chile, Jamaica, Grenada, Paraguay, Burundi, Chad, Nigeria, and Mauritius.
Kenyan Police In Haiti Face First Heavy Gunfight On A Port-au-Prince Street
