Kenyan Police Commander to Haiti Godfrey Otunge on Sunday appealed for helicopters to aid in the Haiti mission.
Otunge met with Florida Deputy Commander of the Army National Guard Brigadier General William Temple and other military dignitaries in Haiti where they discussed, among others, the key challenges in the mission.
During the closed Multinational Security Support (MSS) meeting, Otunge briefed Temple on progress made since the arrival of the first Kenyan contingent in June 2024.
While emphasising the need for Forward Operating Bases to maintain already pacified areas of Haiti, the Kenyan Police Commander also admitted that the mission was not easy owing to a shortage of infrastructure, some of which were captured by gangs.
Kenya Police patrolling Port-au-Prince in Haiti
Photo
Miami Herald
Otunge’s team was recently boosted by the arrival of soldiers and police officers from Jamaica.
Under the command of Colonel Kevron Henry, the Jamaican team comprised 20 soldiers and four police officers who touched down in the embattled Caribbean country on Thursday, September 12.
With the war against gangs in Haiti entering a critical stage, the MSS is set to receive a boost in personnel as other contributing countries are set to deploy their troops before the end of the deployment period.
Aside from infrastructural challenges, Kenyan soldiers in Haiti have also had to endure vehicles that lacked proper armour. Some of the vehicles also crucially lacked communication radios.
Delayed payments and bonuses have also greatly affected the Kenya team’s morale.
Despite the setbacks, the MSS insists it remains committed to restoring peace in Haiti, amid a gang crisis that has left over five million people facing severe hunger.
The conflict in the country has seen at least 580,000 people internally displaced, while hundreds of thousands have fled the country in search of less volatile lands.
Haiti gangs reportedly control 80 per cent of the capital of Port-au-Prince.
Haiti Prime Minister Garry Conille at the State University Hospital in Port-au-Prince, Tuesday, July 9.
Photo
Garry Conille
