BIG STEP: Kenyan Police In Haiti Register HUGE Success As Schools, Businesses Reopen
Six months into Kenya’s police deployment in Haiti, normalcy is gradually returning to sections of the turbulent Caribbean island.
The situation began to alter when the Multinational Security Support (MSS) and Haitian National Police (HNP) conducted daily patrols in neighborhoods such as Cité Soleil, Downtown, Solino, and Viv Mitchell.
These neighborhoods were Jimmy Chérizier’s strongholds, called Barbecue.
Open-air markets are open again, street vendors are back in business, and small businesses may work without fear. Schools have also reopened as gangs have fled areas that MSS troops have pacified.
MSS Force Commander Godfrey Otunge explained how they were able to penetrate and return to normal operations, revealing that they use a variety of patrols to achieve their goals.
According to Otunga, because of the time they have spent there, the Haitians have began to open up to them and provide information on the gangs.
The Kenya Police, leading the UN-supported peacekeeping mission in Haiti, has achieved remarkable progress in restoring stability, particularly in the education sector.
— Dr. Raymond Omollo — CBS (@ray_omollo) January 24, 2025
For years, gang violence plagued communities, with school-age children often recruited as pawns in these… pic.twitter.com/L1ZKxnOclT
“We’ve been conducting different patrols, we have the targeted patrols, we have targeted operations, we have reassurance patrols, we have the normal patrols, the joints operations, and several others, which are intelligence-led,” Otunga explained.
“Out of this, we have pacified several areas, that is why we have been able to conquer the gangs, the population is also warming up and giving us information because they also want the gangs to end,” he continued.
Otunge went on to say that they were able to calm Barbecue’s stronghold in Delmas, which had been fully evacuated and declared a no-go zone.
According to Otunge, the MSS collaborated with the HNP to take the Delmas Area and paralyze the gangs led by Barbecue.
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He said that the area has been restored to tranquility, and people are returning from IDP camps to reoccupy their homes.
When the first Kenyan contingent landed in Haiti in June 2024, most businesses in these gang-controlled districts had already closed owing to attacks and damage.
With the progress seen thus far, local business owners are urging MSS to maintain their patrols and focused operations to provide the safety required for businesses to thrive.
Kenya dispatched more than 200 police officers to Haiti in January 2025, joining 400 others who went on the expedition the previous year.
BIG STEP: Kenyan Police In Haiti Register HUGE Success As Schools, Businesses Reopen
