Kenyan police officers deployed in Haiti were dealt a fresh setback after anti-government protests plunged parts of the capital, Port-au-Prince, into total darkness on Wednesday.
According to reports from local media, the unrest erupted in Mirebalais—a town north of the capital—where angry residents stormed a major hydroelectric power plant, demanding action from the government over unchecked gang violence.
The plant, which supplies electricity to a large section of Port-au-Prince, was forcibly shut down by the protesters, triggering a major blackout across key areas of the city.
The blackout has disrupted security operations, including areas patrolled by foreign security forces such as the Kenyan contingent, who form part of a multinational peacekeeping force recently deployed to help stabilise Haiti.
This comes amid growing frustrations from locals who accuse the Haitian government of failing to rein in violent gangs that have seized control of several neighbourhoods, forcing thousands to flee their homes.
A Kenya-led, UN-backed security mission to the nation has also failed to make headway in tackling the crisis. World leaders have increasingly called for the mission to become a formal UN peacekeeping mission, while the US and Colombia have floated deploying troops through the Organisation of American States, according to Reuters.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed the deployment of officers from the Organisation of American States (OAS) during his address before the US Senate on May 21.
The head of US diplomacy announced that he would immediately ask the OAS to lead the multinational force to restore order in Haiti.
On May 5, residents of the South American nation staged another round of protests in the country's capital, calling for the resignation of the country's top leadership, including the Prime Minister, Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, and the transnational presidential council.
On April 2, thousands of Haitians took to the streets, staging mass protests in major cities to demand an end to the gang violence that has plagued the nation as security officers from Kenya continued to face the heat of the gangs.
Demonstrators brandished machetes while others waved palm leaves as they made their way through the streets of Port-au-Prince, where schools, banks, and other businesses remained closed during the standoff.
Haitians are growing increasingly frustrated with the government as the transition council fails to deliver on promises to stabilise the nation, which has been without a president since Jovenel Moise was assassinated in 2021.
Since June last year, Kenya has deployed at least 1,000 police officers under the MSS mission in Haiti to help in curbing unease in the country; however, gangs have continued to take over businesses and other critical infrastructures in Haiti, especially the country's capital.
