A Kenyan police officer in Haiti was shot and wounded during a confrontation with gangs in Port-au-Prince. On July 30, officials reported that the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission team was on patrol along the National Hospital-APN Sea Port road when they noticed a lorry being attacked and looted by suspected gangsters.
Head of the mission, Godfrey Otunge, stated that the patrol team saw the gang had shot the driver dead as they looted the truck, which was loaded with bags of rice.
“The patrol team immediately engaged the gangs after they started shooting at them,” Otunge said. During the confrontation, a Kenyan officer was shot in the shoulder and evacuated to Life Support Area (LSA) Hospital for treatment. The officer sustained an injury to the left acromioclavicular joint with soft tissue damage but is in stable condition and awaiting further medical attention.
Otunge reported that the gangs fled with serious, life-threatening injuries, disappearing into nearby tall buildings. This incident occurred a day after the MSS team and local officials were involved in a gunfight with gangs during Prime Minister Garry Conille’s visit to a hospital on July 29.
Accompanied by the Director General of Haitian National Police Normil Rameau and Otunge, the PM visited the General Hospital premises for assessment. During the visit, there were gunshots exchanged between security and gangs, but no injuries were reported.
Later, the HNP and MSS contingent followed up on the source of the shots, pacifying the area. The hospital remains under the control of the HNP and MSS contingent, with no fatalities or injuries recorded during the operation.
In a joint statement, Otunge and Rameau said the PM, accompanied by CNN for coverage, heard two shots from a nearby neighborhood towards the end of his interview. After the interview, the PM was safely escorted back to his office, with security officers providing cover.
The Director General has initiated investigations to determine the cause of the incident. Officials note that gangs have become increasingly confrontational as troops gain control of previously gang-controlled areas.
Kenyan police are in Haiti to help local officials stabilize gang-dominated regions. The MSS team has taken control of key locations, including the main port in Port-au-Prince, a major highway, and the hospital. On July 17, Conille declared a state of emergency in 14 gang-controlled municipalities.
Gangs at the port had been preventing food, medical supplies, and humanitarian aid from entering Haiti. The port is one of the remaining entry points for the United Nations to deliver aid to the country.
A similar gunfight occurred two weeks ago as the team traveled from Toussaint Louverture International Airport to the Autorite Portuaire Nationale port. The team is tasked with securing the port, the main airport, the presidential palace, major hospitals, and main highways.
