There are concerns over the safety of the Kenyan police officers serving in the UN mission in Haiti, following reports of heavy gunfire near the US embassy in the war-torn country.
On Monday evening, August 5, the United States issued a security alert following heavy gunfire near the embassy amid escalating gun violence.
In the alert, the US embassy urged its citizens to avoid Port-au-Prince, Tabarre, and the area around the embassy.
"There is heavy gunfire reported in the Tabarre area near the U.S. Embassy. U.S. government personnel have paused all official movement outside the embassy compound," the alert stated.
Residents of Port-au-Prince have since confirmed to international media outlets of the gunfire near the embassy between armed gangs and police forces.
The latest wave of unrest in Haiti followed the arrest of a former senator accused of conspiring against the State and working with criminal organisations, including gangs terrorising residents in the capital.
The former Senator, identified as Nenel Cassy, was arrested on Saturday at a restaurant in Petionville, a wealthy district of the capital, Port-au Prince, Haiti, with Haiti police confirming the developments in a statement on social media while also sharing images of the politician in handcuffs.
At the time of publication of this article, it remains unclear whether the Kenyan contingent in Haiti were involved in the ginfire exchange near the U.S. embassy.
MSS Mission
Kenya has been part of the Multinational Security Support (MSS) Mission in Haiti for over a year, with the first batch of officers getting deployed in June 2024.
Since then, the government has sent more officers to assist in combating gang violence in the Haitian capital which has seen more than one million people displaced.
Latest reports indicate that despite efforts from additional security personnel, including those from Kenya, the gang violence has seen the deaths of over 3000 people in 2025 alone.
As far as Kenyan casualties are concerned, two police officers were confirmed dead in February and March 2025 in separate attacks.
