Two months after the Kenyan police arrived in Haiti, the authorities are now looking for the rapid deployment of resources to improve operations.
The first team of officers arrived in Haiti on June 25 and has so far helped to pacify areas of Port-au-Prince in the face of resistance from local gangs.
The team in particular took control of a local port, a national hospital and a main road. But since then, they have struggled to get in touch with the ambassador and local authorities, demanding the allocation of resources. Team leader Godfrey Otunge said they were optimistic that they would get more resources to help them accomplish their mission.
The mandate of the officers is to support the efforts of the Haitian National Police (HNP) to restore security in Haiti and create an environment conducive to free and fair elections.
Prime minister Garry Conille expressed concern about funding delays.
He warned that a lack of timely support could jeopardize the entire operation and erode the credibility of the transitional government.
“People live in very difficult conditions. They want to see the action,” Conille said.
“Unfortunately, the resources are not enough and they are not coming fast enough. We understand that there are many emergencies and fatigue, but the good news is that there is hope.”
Conille said the failure to meet the mission’s funding needs could derail expectations.
“The arrival of the Kenyan officials has created expectations and we have to meet them or the whole system collapses,” he said.
The international partners who support Haiti’s security sector organized a joint forum on August 8 at the Montana Hotel. The meeting was chaired by the Canadian ambassador to Haiti, André Giroux, who stated that the mission of the National Police of Haiti is essential and that all actors should support it.
US Ambassador Dennis Hankins and senior officials from the Bahamas, EU, Spain, France, Argentina, Brazil, Japan, Mexico, Chile, Switzerland and United Nations agencies attended the meeting.
The mission in Haiti is funded by the US government and other donors.
Conille asked international partners to support the Haitian National Police, which, despite its numbers, lacks resources and weapons.
He called for swift intervention as the country prepares for elections next year. “It is necessary to guarantee security because it is the key to free and fair elections,” said Conille. The director general of the HNP, Normil Rameu, said that the pressure is increasing on all fronts and that the residents expect immediate results.
Otunge said he was committed to using all available resources to support HNP.
“This saw constant day and night patrols carried out jointly by the MSS and the HNP,” he said.
He added that this will ensure the recovery of all critical government infrastructure. Otunge assessed the equipment and weapons delivered during the pre-deployment period.
Kenyan police are in Haiti to stabilize the Caribbean capital – Port-au-Prince – which has been nearly overrun by gangs.
The team is stationed in the port, the main airport, the presidential palace, major hospitals and highways.
Besides Kenya, other countries committed to sending officials to Haiti include Benin, Jamaica, Bahamas, Belize, Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, Bangladesh, Algeria, Canada and France. The Kenyan police in Haiti are undergoing linguistic and intercultural training to improve their operations.
The team was informed that the gangs are becoming more and more aggressive.
On July 30, a Kenyan police officer in Haiti was wounded and injured during a confrontation with gangs in Port-au-Prince. A team was patrolling along the road that connects the national hospital to the NPC seaport when they saw a truck that was stolen by suspected gangsters. The gang members had shot the driver while looting the track loaded with sacks of rice.
“The patrol team immediately engaged the gangs and they started shooting at them,” Otunge said.
“A Kenyan police sustained a gunshot wound to the shoulder during the operation and was evacuated to the Life Support Area Hospital for treatment.”
He said the officer suffered injuries to his left acromioclavicular joint with soft tissue damage.
Otunge said the gang members escaped with serious and life-threatening injuries and disappeared into the tall buildings from which they shot each other.
This came a day after the team and local officials engaged gangs in a gun battle while Conille was visiting a hospital on Monday, July 29 in Port-au-Prince.
