The Kenyan Police Commander to Haiti Godfrey Otunge on Thursday vowed to deal with the dreaded Haiti gang leader Lanmo Sanjou, the head of the infamous Mawozo 400.
In an exclusive interview with the Miami Herald, Otunge warned that the gangs' days were numbered and that the police would do everything possible to combat anarchy in the Caribbean nation.
According to the police commander, the officers must fulfil the purpose for which they came to Haiti and ending gang violence was the sole aim of the mission.
“I can tell you that Lanmo Sanjou, his days are numbered. Take it to the bank, because we came here for a reason,” Otunge warned.
“We came here with a purpose. We came here to do something, and we must do it,” he added.
Otunge revealed that on each day he sent his officers for patrols together with the Haiti National Police to ensure security within Port-au-Prince and its suburbs.
He further revealed that the mission had so far made immense progress with the police managing to reclaim several critical amenities that were under the control of the gangs.
"Together with the HNP, we recaptured the hospital, and the hospital is currently under our patrols together with the Haiti National Police.
Number two, the seaport was a no-go zone. Nobody dared to go to the seaport because it was barricaded. We worked together with the Haiti National Police and people are now moving and there’s movement of vehicles," Otunge reiterated.
However, the commander clarified that the mission was still in the deployment phase even as they continued to wait for more officers to be deployed to bolster the Multinational Security Support Mission (MSSM).
According to Otunge, the deployment phase is supposed to run for a certain duration with a focus placed on the mobilization of resources, personnel coming in, induction, and training.
"We are in the process of developing forward operating bases in the areas that we’ve mapped out to be key to us…. We’ve identified a place next to the seaport," Otunge stated.
"I can tell you the international community has supported us fully, and they are establishing it to become the first forward operating base for us," he added.
