200 additional Kenyan police officers arrive in Haiti  

PORT-AU-PRINCE—A second group of 200 Kenyan police officers, part of the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission, arrived in Haiti on Tuesday. Upon landing on the tarmac of the Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince, the Kenyan officers were welcomed by members of the Haitian National Police (PNH) High Command.

This contingent brings the number of Kenyan police officers present in the Haitian capital to 400, following the deployment of the first group on June 25. These officers are part of the 1,000 pledged by Kenya to assist in restoring security and order in the gang-ravaged country.

According to the Kenyan newspaper The Star, Noor Gabow, the coordinator of the MSS in Haiti, saluted the officers’ departure for the international mission. “I know you are ready for the mission,” he said. “Go and help the Haitians stand up and take off. They are good people.”

On Monday evening, the troops left Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, aboard a UN-chartered flight. They include two elite forces: a technical unit and a special urban patrol team.

Despite the increase in numbers this week, the Kenya-led multinational force is still far from being complete. The MSS is expected to comprise more or less 2,500 police and military officers, including 600 more Kenyan officers plus forces from other participating United Nations member states such as Bangladesh, Benin, Chad, Belize, the Bahamas, Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda, and Barbados. 

For now, no information is available on the exact date when the mission will be fully staffed to help the PNH secure Haiti’s vital infrastructure, such as airports, ports, hospitals, the presidential palace and national roads controlled by armed gangs.

On Tuesday, American Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield to the UN posted a message on X  to express her country’s gratefulness for Kenya’s leadership over the multinational mission and also welcome the arrival of the second contingent of Kenyan officers in Haiti, aiming to bolster the PNH efforts on the ground.

“Grateful for Kenya’s leadership and the arrival of Kenyan officers in Haiti,” Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield said. 

Additionally, she emphasized the need for global and regional partners to sustain efforts in addressing Haiti’s multidimensional crisis during a meeting on the country’s challenges with Kenya’s National Security Advisor, Monica Juma, and regional partners supporting the MSS.

The MSS base is still unfinished 

Kenya continues reinforcing the mission in a context where the construction of its base has not yet been completed and equipment and munitions are not fully in place. Since their arrival in Haiti, the Kenyan officers have been seen on the streets of Port-au-Prince three times. However, they have not yet undertaken any operations alongside the national police to curb gangs’ grip on Port-au-Prince and its metropolitan areas.

According to available information, the force received around 10 cream-colored MaxxPro armored vehicles, weapons and other equipment on July 6. In addition to military equipment, the officers also received various resources to facilitate their mission, including washing machines, trolley vehicles and internet access to communicate with their families.

The additional officers arrive against the backdrop of a series of attacks on the Haitian police and communities in Gressier and Carrefour, causing at least 28 deaths, including two police inspectors. 

Meanwhile, the transitional government led by Prime Minister Garry Conille and the PNH High Command promised they would soon launch their operations against armed gangs. They renewed this promise after reclaiming, from gangs last week,  the State University of Haiti Hospital (HUEH), the largest medical center in the country.

“I assume the gangs are positioning themselves. But what is certain is that, whatever they are doing, I assure you that in a not too distant time, the State will regain control of the entire national territory,” said Prime Minister Conille to Radio France Internationale (RFI) during an interview.

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