HAITI: Police Union Issues New Demands After Kenyan Officer’s Death
Just one day after a Kenyan police officer was violently shot and died in Haiti, the Caribbean country’s police unions demanded more safety.
According to the Associated Press and the Washington Post, the chairman of one of Haiti’s two major police unions demanded more equipment on Monday to combat the gangs.
Garry Jean Baptiste, a union representative, urged the Haitian government to take the gangs’ threat seriously.
🔴(SPNH- 17) òganize yon sitinn devan viladakèy maten lendi 24 fevriye 2025 lan, pou ekzije otorite yo rezoud klima ensekirite a epi bay la polis la bon jan mwayen.Daprè Garry Jean baptiste otorite yo pa gen volonte pou rezoud klima ensekirite a. pic.twitter.com/cMpgXILMOx
— Yvetot Jean Juste (@JeanYvetot) February 25, 2025
“Take this insecurity seriously so more lives can be saved,” he said. Jean was speaking at a protest outside the offices of Haiti’s prime minister and its transitional presidential council.
Kenyan officers work alongside their Haitian counterparts to undertake patrols and targeted operations in gang-controlled areas.
A Kenyan police officer serving under the Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti has died.
— Samira Sawlani (@samirasawlani) February 24, 2025
Kenyan authorities say the officer sustained gunshot wounds after suspected gang members opened fire on the security team that was on patrol. pic.twitter.com/oCoJ49apiB
These collaborative efforts draw on Haitian officers’ local expertise as well as Kenyan forces’ specific training.
Kenya, which is leading the UN-backed Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission, intends to assist the Haitian National Police (PNH) in regaining gang-dominated districts.
However, concerns have been expressed over the arming of the two groups, with Kenya reliant on the United States for critical weapons.
It is unknown whether the MSS shares equipment with the HNP, but the squad has been well-armed since its deployment in June of last year, with more equipment arriving late last year and early this year.
On Sunday, a Kenyan police officer was shot and killed during an anti-gang operation in the Artibonite region, north of Port-au-Prince, as part of a UN-backed mission.
ALSO READ:
- Duale Confirms Kenya-U.S. Deal For Ebola Quarantine, Testing
- “Kenya Has Enough Fuel Reserve!” – CS Wandayi Assures
- Journalist Jailed In Ksh16 Million State House Case, Governor Intervenes
- Ruto’s UDA Fiercely Responds To Uhuru, Terms Him ‘Bitter And Obsessed’
- REVEALED: How Ruto’s UDA Plan To Infiltrate Gachagua’s DCP Party
The incident happened after the officer responded to a cry for help from locals in the Pont-Sonde region. Despite being flown to the hospital, he died from his injuries.
This was the first casualty since the mission’s deployment in June 2024.
Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé stated during a news conference that the government plans to increase security by investing heavily in equipment for the National Police.
“There is a strategy, there is a will, there are means that are mobilised to put an end to the evil of insecurity,” he said.
HAITI: Police Union Issues New Demands After Kenyan Officer’s Death
