The Gang Suppression Force (GSF), which includes Kenyan troops deployed to Haiti, has dismissed reports claiming that two Kenyan officers were killed during an operation in the Caribbean nation.
In a statement released on Monday, the multinational force clarified that all its personnel were safe and that no Kenyan officer had lost their life during the recent engagements.
According to the GSF, there was a joint operation that was carried out in partnership with the Haitian National Police (PNH) and the Haitian Armed Forces (FAD’H) in the Artibonite Department, particularly along the Petite-Rivière–Liancourt–Pont Sondé route, which was aimed at dismantling gang networks and reopening key transport corridors that had been blocked by armed groups.
During the security operation, gangs from the Gran-Griff gang met the officers with heavy resistance, which prompted them to act before defeating them. This led to widespread rumours that some two Kenyan officers died during the exchange.
Additionally, during the offensive operation, gang members attempted to fortify their positions by digging trenches and occupying high-rise buildings to launch Molotov cocktails at security forces.
However, specialised units from the GSF, which recently rebranded from the Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) and PNH, neutralised the threats, ensuring safe passage for residents and the delivery of armoured vehicles to nearby police stations.
On August 31, a Kenyan officer identified as Corporal Kennedy Mutuku Nzuve lost his life following a tragic road accident in Pétion-Ville in Haiti.
According to authorities, the accident occurred at around 5pm along the Kenscoff–Pétion-Ville road at Perlerin 9 during a recovery operation. Corporal Nzuve was rushed to Lambert Santé Hospital in Pétion-Ville, where he was pronounced dead.
A week earlier, two elite Haitian SWAT officers serving alongside Kenyan officers deployed in the Caribbean nation lost their lives on August 20, following a tragic explosion caused by a ''kamikaze'' drone.
The incident occurred at the SWAT base in the Kenscoff region and left two other officers injured.
Earlier this year, a Kenyan police officer serving in the MSS mission in the Caribbean nation died on February 23, after sustaining injuries during an operation.
According to a report by the MSS shared the same day, the officer, drawn from the Artibonite department, was injured during an operation in SÉGUR - SAVIEN.
He was ultimately airlifted to Aspen Medical Hospital, a level-2 facility, where he eventually succumbed to his injuries.
