Kenyan police officers, deployed to Haiti two months ago as part of a United Nations-backed mission, find themselves ensnared in a quagmire of unrelenting gang violence. Despite the high expectations set by the international community, little progress has been made in restoring order to the streets of Port-au-Prince.
As the mission falters, frustration and despair grow among both the Haitian populace and the officers tasked with bringing peace to this troubled nation.
The Kenyan contingent, numbering 400 officers, arrived with the intention of supporting Haiti's overwhelmed police forces in their battle against gangs that have carved out vast territories in the capital. However, these officers have struggled to make a tangible impact.
Haitian Prime Minister Garry Conille acknowledged this grim reality on Wednesday, during a visit to a hospital where injured police officers were being treated. “I am tired of seeing police officers beings shot. I am tired of going to police officers’ funerals. We must solve this insecurity problem,” Conille stated.
Conille’s remarks came in the wake of a joint operation between Haitian forces and Kenyan police aimed at dislodging gangs from the volatile Bel Air neighbourhood—a mission that ended with more injuries than successes.
The international policing mission, which was supposed to serve as a beacon of hope for Haitians, has instead stalled. The gangs, which control 80 percent of Port-au-Prince, remain deeply entrenched. The situation on the ground underscores the stark disparity between the mission’s lofty goals and its current realities.
“The abuse from the gangs continues, and the bandits aren't even worried,” laments Watson Laurent, a motorcycle taxi driver who had initially supported the intervention.
His sentiment echoes across the capital, where explosions and gunfire are a nightly occurrence, and where the promise of peace feels increasingly distant.
Frustration is also palpable among the Kenyan officers. Despite their efforts, they have been unable to reclaim significant gang-held territories. The result is a mission that, while well-intentioned, has thus far been unable to turn the tide.
While the Kenyan police have claimed "significant progress," such as securing critical infrastructure like the airport and reopening key roads, many Haitians see these achievements as negligible. The reality is that most of this progress occurred before the Kenyan forces arrived, leaving the public increasingly disillusioned.
The sole notable operation involving Kenyan forces occurred at the end of July, when they attempted to retake the town of Ganthier from the notorious 400 Mawozo gang. Yet even this effort was short-lived; the gang members simply fled before the security forces’ arrival, only to return once the police had left.
As these setbacks accumulate, the Haitian government is left with few options. Conille’s call for patience, while understandable, does little to assuage the fears of a population that has endured years of violence, displacement, and deprivation.
The numbers are stark: more than 3,200 killings reported in just the first five months of the year, with over half a million people displaced by gang violence.
Meanwhile, the broader Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS), led by Kenya, faces its own challenges. Originally envisioned as a robust force of 2,500 officers from multiple countries, the mission has only managed to deploy 400 Kenyans thus far.
Funding shortfalls and logistical issues have plagued the mission, with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres recently noting that less than a quarter of the pledged $85 million has been received.
