Just a day after a Kenyan police officer was fatally shot and killed in Haiti, police unions in the Caribbean country have issued demands for better protection.
According to reporting from the AP and Washington Post, a leader of one of two powerful police unions in Haiti on Monday demanded more equipment to fight the gangs.
The union leader, Garry Jean Baptiste, asked the Haitian government to take the threat posed by the gangs seriously.
“Take this insecurity seriously so more lives can be saved,” he said. Jean was speaking at a protest outside the offices of Haiti’s prime minister and its transitional presidential council.
Kenyan officers collaborate with their Haitian counterparts to conduct patrols and targeted operations in gang-controlled territories. These joint efforts leverage the local knowledge of Haitian officers and the specialised training of the Kenyan forces.
Kenya, which leads the United Nations-backed Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission, aims to strengthen the Haitian National Police (PNH) in reclaiming gang-dominated areas.
However, questions have been raised regarding the arming of the two groups, with Kenya relying on the US for crucial weaponry. It is unclear whether the MSS shares its equipment with the HNP, but the team has been well-armed since its deployment in June last year, with additional equipment arriving late last year and early this year.
On Sunday, a Kenyan police officer deployed to Haiti as part of a United Nations‑backed mission was fatally shot during an anti‑gang operation in the Artibonite region, north of Port‑au‑Prince.
The incident occurred when the officer responded to a call for assistance from residents in the Pont‑Sonde area. Despite being airlifted to hospital, he succumbed to his injuries.
This marked the first casualty since the mission’s deployment in June 2024.
Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils‑Aimé said at a news conference that the government was committed to making the country more secure “through a massive investment in equipment” for Haiti’s National Police.
“There is a strategy, there is a will, there are means that are mobilised to put an end to the evil of insecurity,” he said.
