Haitian, Kenyan police launch joint operation to regain control

Haitian troops, along with police from Kenya, have launched a joint operation to drive out criminal gangs from one of the most dangerous neighborhoods of Haiti’s capital, Prime Minister Garry Conille said on Wednesday.

Conille was speaking at a hospital in Port-au-Prince, where three Haitian police officers were recovering from wounds sustained Tuesday in a shootout during a joint operation in the impoverished, gang-controlled Bel Air neighborhood.

“I’m tired of seeing police officers being shot. I’m tired of going to funerals of police officers. We have to solve this insecurity problem,” Conille said.

Conille did not provide further details about the operation or answer questions during his brief news conference, but he called on Haitians to cooperate with police and share information to reduce crime.

From January to May, more than 3,200 murders were reported in Haiti.

Gangs that control 80% of Port-au-Prince have left more than half a million people homeless in recent years as they fight for more territory.