Kenyan police officers in Haiti are reportedly set to get assistance from the Security of Protected Areas Brigade (BSAP), a controversial security force to combat gangs that have run rampant in the Caribbean nation.
This was after a controversial new decree from Haiti’s Transitional Presidential Council (CPT) to integrate the forces, despite the unit’s murky legal status, history of alleged mistreatment, and ties to gang-affiliated actors.
The directive from CPT called for the incorporation of BSAP into law enforcement efforts, pending conduct evaluations. But the move has sparked alarm among human rights advocates and political leaders, who point to the brigade’s murky origins, inconsistent command structure, and lack of training standards as serious red flags.
The move comes at a time when the gangs have intensified their ambushes on the Kenyan-led Multinational Security Support Mission, leading to several casualties and others injured. Since the turn of 2025, Kenya has lost an officer in combat, with others nursing serious injuries.
In the first quarter of the year, gangs intensified their charge in the capital and the Artibonite region. In Kenscoff alone, at least 262 are said to have succumbed, dozens injured, and nearly 200 homes destroyed, displacing over 3,000.
BSAP officials, while welcoming the CPT’s decision, remain unclear on collaboration details.
“We haven’t received any official circular from the relevant authorities, but we saw the announcement like everyone else on social media,” stated Kesny Cherenfant, BSAP secretary for the Northeast region. “We are ready and willing to battle for our country because we don’t have a second one.”
Founded by former Environment Minister Pierre Simon Georges under President Moïse, the BSAP typically operates under the National Agency of Protected Areas (ANAP) and was originally established in 2018 under the late President Jovenel Moïse with minimal oversight.
BSAP was intended to support environmental protection efforts. Since then, however, it has reportedly evolved into a poorly regulated force with little public accountability — one that critics say is vulnerable to political manipulation and unlawful activities.
The involvement of BSAP came at a time when Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja recently dismissed reports suggesting that Kenyan police officers deployed under the MSS Mission in Haiti were facing challenges that might likely jeopardise the mission.
NPS, in a statement, dismissed a story that was published by the Daily Nation newspaper claiming that the officers are overstretched and struggling to effectively carry out their mandate due to numerous challenges, including limited funding and operational constraints.
Police maintained that the claims indicating that the officers had not made major progress due to concerns about their capability to handle the mission were misleading since they were well-trained before leaving Kenya to go help the Haitian National Police in combating gang aggression.
The reports come in the wake of troubling incidents faced by the MSS mission, including a recent ambush on officers while on duty. In response, the NPS assured the public that the Kenyan officers are equipped with modern tactical gear that meets international standards.
