In Haiti, a Kenyan police officer was slain after confronting gang members

In a clash with gang members, a Kenyan police officer who was on patrol with the international security team in Haiti was slain.

The Multinational Security Support mission (MSS), which is commanded by Kenya, has suffered its first casualty with this officer.

In order to help restore order in Haiti, where gangs had taken over nearly the whole metropolis, Port-au-Prince, as well as sizable portions of the countryside, the force was dispatched there in June last year. 

Over a million people have abandoned their homes in Haiti as a result of gang-related violence, which claimed over 5,500 lives in 2024. 

According to General Godfrey Otunge, the commander of the multinational force, the Kenyan police officer was hurt in Artibonite, which is a district north of the city. 

The unnamed officer was evacuated to the hospital right away, according to Gen. Otunge, and passed away shortly after.

Kenya’s foreign ministry expressed its sorrow at the soldier’s passing, while MSS spokesperson Jack Ombaka told Reuters news agency that the officer was a “fallen hero” who “was killed while fighting for the people of Haiti.” 

According to Mr. Ombaka, the officer was shot by a gang member while conducting a security operation in Pont-Sondé.

“We will “pursue these gangs to the last one remaining,” he continued. 

Although the MSS received a boost earlier this month when 200 more Kenyan police officers arrived, the gangs continue to arm themselves with heavy weapons that are illegally smuggled from the United States, outmanaging the force.

A suspension on foreign aid programs enacted by the Trump administration a few weeks ago cast uncertainty on the future of the multinational force, which also includes officers from the Bahamas, Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Jamaica. 

It is unclear if the US government is in favor of making the MSS a UN peacekeeping force, which would safeguard its financing, although US Secretary of State Marco Rubio later authorized a waiver for US monies intended for the MSS and Haiti’s National Police.