Jamaican and Belizean forces arrive in Haiti to reinforce Kenya-led MSS

PORT-AU-PRINCE —The Multinational Support and Security (MSS) mission in Haiti now comprises 426 members. As anticipated, 24 Jamaican military and police officers, along with two Belizean military officers, arrived in Port-au-Prince to bolster the Kenya-led MS. The multinational force is tasked with assisting the Haitian National Police (PNH) in combating gang violence and restoring state authority.

The Jamaican and Belizean personnel landed at Toussaint Louverture International Airport aboard a U.S. Coast Guard plane. The Jamaican contingent includes 20 military and four police officers.

On Tuesday, Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness announced that Jamaica would deploy its first group of 24 out of the 250 military-police personnel pledged to the MSS. Also, as announced by the Belizean Defense Forces on Sep. 7, Belize deployed two military officers from its commitment of 50 personnel.

This initial deployment focuses on supporting mission command, planning, and logistics, setting the stage for future deployments.

Led by Senior Army Officer Kevron Henry, the Jamaican contingent was welcomed by Rameau Normil, director general of the PNH, Godfrey Otunge, commander of the MSS in Haiti, and several Kenyan police officers.

In his welcome address, Otunge emphasized the MSS’s dedication to its mission as outlined in Resolution 2699, adopted by the U.N. Security Council in October 2023. He reiterated the mission’s commitment to collaborating with Haitian forces to combat gang violence and restore democratic rights in Haiti.

“I urge other contributing countries to deploy their personnel as soon as possible, as the stipulated time for the deployment phase is ending soon,” Otunge said. “This will lead us into a more robust, decisive operation that requires all force components.”

Here are some images of the deployment: 

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