Kenyan officers on the UN-backed Multinational Security Support (MSS) Mission to Haiti have been joined by security officers from the Bahamas, strengthening the fight against gang violence in the Caribbean nation.
A plane carrying a six-member advance team from the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) arrived in Port-au-Prince on Friday and was received by MSS Deputy Force Commander Kevron Henry and Kenyan Commander Godfrey Otunge.
An additional 144 officers are expected to arrive later, bringing the total to 150.
“[Col. Henry] expressed optimism about more contributing countries deploying to Haiti soon. He reiterated the MSS’s commitment to ensuring that the gangs are defeated,” MSS Mission to Haiti said in a statement.
The Bahamian officers bring experience in maritime patrols to their mission in Haiti, conducting regular operations within territorial waters as part of an integrated effort to improve maritime security. They will also ensure that strategic ports are safe and functional to facilitate humanitarian aid in support of economic and political stability.
The Bahamas is the third country, after Jamaica, to join the Kenya-led mission, which the UN Security Council approved in October 2023. This mission began when the first contingent of Kenyan police arrived in the strife-torn country in June.
The deployment comes just days after the Kenyan government announced that it would be sending female officers from its Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team to Haiti. The officers are currently training at the National Police College Embakasi “A” Campus.
This marks the first time Kenya is sending its female officers on peace missions.
The first group of Kenyan police officers deployed consisted of 400, and a SWAT team of 600 officers is set to join them next month, bringing the total number to 1,000.
Other countries, such as Antigua, Barbuda, Italy, Spain, Mongolia, Senegal, Belize, Suriname, Guatemala, and Peru, that pledged troops for the operation are yet to deploy.
Consequently, Kenya’s President William Ruto recently asked the international community “to match their commitment and their pledges with the necessary action for us to be able to complete the task ahead of us.”
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In the past week, MSS officers have killed 20 gang members and recovered a cache of firearms. At one point, they raided gang leader Homme Innocent’s base in Vitel but did not manage to seize him. Some of his followers were killed in the operation.
Innocent, who has a Sh258 million bounty placed on him by the American FBI, is listed as one of the most wanted fugitives. He is wanted for being the leader of the Kraze Baryne Gang, affiliated with the notorious Viv Ansanm Alliance, among other things.
Haiti has been plagued for years by outbreaks of violent lawlessness, as gangs highly entwined with Haiti’s political and corporate elite fight for power and territorial control.
More than 3,600 people have been killed in the country since January, including over 100 children, while over half a million Haitians have been displaced, according to UN estimates.
– By Tina Akal
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