Haitian Armed Forces and Kenyan Police Launch Joint Operation Against Gangs in Port-au-Prince

Haitian military forces, in collaboration with police officers from Kenya, have launched a joint operation to drive criminal gangs out of one of the most dangerous neighborhoods of the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince, Prime Minister Garry Conille announced last week.

Conille gave an update on the operation at a Port-au-Prince hospital as he visited three Haitian police officers wounded in a shooting in the gang-controlled Bel Air neighborhood, an area known for high levels of violence and poverty.

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

Although Conille declined to provide further details about the operation and declined to answer questions during his brief press conference, he urged the Haitian public to cooperate with law enforcement by providing information that could help reduce crime.

Haiti has seen a surge in violence this year, with more than 3,200 murders reported between January and May. Gangs now control 80% of Port-au-Prince and have displaced more than half a million people in their fight for control of more territory.

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“It’s not going to happen quickly,” Conille warned. “We have to be patient.”

Earlier last week, a police union reported that a female officer, Michelle Nathanielle Megine, was killed on her way to work, her vehicle riddled with more than a dozen bullet holes. Megine is one of about two dozen officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty this year.

To combat rising gang violence, a UN-backed mission led by Kenya has sent about 400 police officers to Haiti. Additional police and soldiers from countries including Benin, Chad and Jamaica are expected to join in the coming months, bringing the total number of foreign personnel to 2,500.

The U.S. military announced Friday that it would deliver 24 additional armored vehicles to support Kenyan personnel leading the security operation in Haiti. U.S. Southern Command (SouthCom) will transport the mine-resistant, ambush-protected (MRAP) MaxxPros to Port-au-Prince’s main airport via U.S. Air Force C-17 cargo planes.

These deliveries will bolster the existing fleet of 10 U.S.-supplied MRAPs, with 34 Overhead Gunner Protection Kits, or “turrets,” also being installed to improve the vehicles’ effectiveness during joint operations with Haitian police.