The Kenyan-led -mission in Haiti faced criticism after one of their armoured vehicles broke down during a patrol mission in downtown Port-Au-Prince.
As reported by the Miami Herald, several Kenyan police officers joined Haitian police on a patrol of downtown Port-au-Prince when one of the vehicles broke down and had to be towed.
The journalist from the Miami Herald narrated that the police convoy was forced to halt with police shooting some warning shots in the air within the capital of Haiti.
A video seen by Kenyans.co.ke depicted a stalled convoy with residents stopping to take pictures of the scene.
Following this breakdown, several public officials in Haiti have come out to critic the UN mission for lack of air or sea equipment claiming it could affect the success of the mission.
An investigation conducted by the Miami Herald on the mission revealed that the Kenyan troops and others had not received any helicopters, planes or boats to aid the police.
The Multinational Security Support mission, which began arriving in Haiti a month ago, has been armed with armoured vehicles, radios, high-calibre weapons and drones — but no dedicated air or sea assets, a U.S. State Department spokesperson confirmed to the Miami Herald.
However, experts have since poked holes into this approach citing that Haiti’s hilly terrain would pose a challenge for the police without flight backing.
According to the experts, the gangs who were already familiar with the terrain would be aware of areas to hide in, crippling the mission.
“The gangs know where to hide, and without aerial support, you cannot conduct a serious operation, even if you have drones,” stated Réginald Delva, a former public service official.
However, this criticism comes after the National Police Service (NPS) of Kenya revealed that the officers managed to recover several critical infrastructure from gang dominance in Haiti.
The statement elaborated that the Multinational Security Support (MSS) Mission managed to recapture Auorite Portuaire Nationale (APN) port from gangs.
