Together with local authorities in Haiti, Kenyan police officers sent to the Caribbean nation to combat gang violence have seen recent progress in curbing gang activity there.
A recent report revealed that Kenyan police alongside Haitian forces raided several criminal gang strongholds in Port-au-Prince which led to the seizure of an array of firearms.
There were also arrests of dozens of suspected gang members in Port-au-Prince, at Artibonite and the wider Western departments, as confirmed by the team under the Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS).
Godfrey Otunge, commander of the MMS, noted that the operations would be extended to ensure that other criminal strongholds are torn down.
The commander also mentioned that they were high on the tail of Elan Luckson - leader of the Gran Griff gang, which orchestrated a very deadly attack on Pont-Sonde a couple of weeks ago.
"Despite the gang's frantic efforts to dig trenches, ditches and put barricades on the roads to impede access to their hideouts, the joint MSS and HNP resolute teams went for them and smocked them out of their hideouts where Luckson (the notorious gang leader) escaped by a whisker," Godfrey Otunge stated.
"Dozens of gang members were arrested and are currently being grilled as locals bayed for their blood," the commander added.
The attack which led to the death of around 115 people prompted a swift response from Kenya, as the East African country decided to deploy an additional 600 troops.
The committed group of MSS and HNP police as reported by The Star, had to fill up the excavated trenches with sand in order to get access to the gangs' hideouts at the Carrefour Paye crossroads on the road that goes to Elan Luckson's house.
The joint operation culminated in the recovery of various weapons and equipment, including HNP stocks, at "Pat Chwal," a village in the municipality of Saint-Marc.
Confiscated weapons include, a 12 GA rifle brand Mossberg, a fake pistol, four mobile phones, two bulletproof vests from the Haiti National Police and binoculars.
"We wish to equally thank the civilians who turned up in large numbers to help fill and load the sandbags that were used to fill up the trenches that the gangs had dug to impede access to their hideouts." the commander stated.
To improve operations, the MMS established a Forward Operating Base (FOB) nearby.
Kenya's mission in Haiti
William Ruto, the president of Kenya, promised to deploy 1,000 troops to the Caribbean island in July 2023 to help establish law and order in the crime tyrannized nation.
In June 2024, Kenya sent out its first contingent of 400 security police officers.
As a result, two dozen Jamaican police and military personnel arrived in Haiti to assist with the peacekeeping mission.
The UN Security Council approved the mission in October 2023, and Jamaica is the second nation to join.
The Belizean government claims that two high-ranking military leaders joined the Jamaicans.
As part of a broader U.N. commitment to provide foreign assistance to Haiti, which has descended into violence and political unrest since President Jovenel Moïse's death in 2021, Kenya decided to take charge of this mission.
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