The UN has initiated training sessions for Kenyan police officers deployed in Haiti to combat gangs terrorizing local communities.
On August 1, the UN Human Rights team conducted a session in Port-au-Prince, guiding the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission team through a compliance framework designed to integrate human rights and international humanitarian law principles into security operations.
The training covered international standards and best practices for the use of force, particularly relevant to the MSS mission in Haiti. This instruction comes in response to increasing confrontations and aggression from gangs.
The training follows an incident on July 30, where a Kenyan officer was injured during a clash with gangs in Port-au-Prince. While patrolling the National Hospital-APN Sea Port road, the team encountered a lorry being attacked and looted by suspected gang members. The driver of the lorry was killed, and one Kenyan officer sustained a gunshot wound to the shoulder. The injured officer was treated at Life Support Area Hospital and is in stable condition.
Earlier, on July 29, while Prime Minister Garry Conille and other officials, including the Director General of the Haitian National Police (HNP) and mission head Godfrey Otunge, visited a hospital, there was a confrontation involving gunfire. The HNP and MSS teams managed to secure the area without any reported injuries.
Otunge reported that the gangs have become more aggressive as the Kenyan forces reclaim areas previously controlled by the gangs. The Kenyan team, part of a broader multinational effort, is tasked with securing critical facilities in Haiti, including the port, main airport, presidential palace, hospitals, and highways.
The MSS, in collaboration with the HNP, continues to stabilize Haiti and retake key areas from gang control. Other countries contributing to the mission include Benin, Jamaica, the Bahamas, Belize, Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, Bangladesh, Algeria, Canada, and France.
