Fresh details have emerged on the kind of weapons and electronic gadgets that were recovered from a criminal gang during an operation staged by multi-agency teams and their Haitian counterparts in Torcel, Port-au-Prince.
At least 20 Haitian gang members were on Sunday and Monday fatally shot during a security operation carried out by the Haitian police jointly with Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) officers.
This led to the recovery of an assortment of weapons, officials said. Kenya leads MSS mission, which is supposed to have 2900 personnel.
The operation was staged in Torcel, a town located 14 kilometres from Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital.
Torcel is known to be the stronghold of “Kraze baryè,” one of the most stubborn gangs in Haiti.
Officials said the operation was aimed at tracking down armed gangs throughout the national territory and dismantling the Kraze baryè gang.
It was during the operation that the officers shot dead at least 20 gang members.
Officials said during the clash, the team also brutally injured the second leader of the Kraze baryè gang, Deshomme.
Several items including firearms, ammunition, mobile phones, sensitive materials and equipment were seized during the operation.
The team said they recovered 15 handguns, two tablets, two mobile phones, 28 hand-held communication radios, two Motorola communication radios property of PNH, and two surveillance cameras.
Others include a decoder camera system, nine Motorola radio communication adapters, 1580 12 gauge cartridge, 1100 22 gauge cartridges, a VIZUA brand drone, one 12 gauge pistol of brand SAPL serial 040027, a pistol 9 mm series AB 992208, a Revolver caliber 22 unmarked, a rifle AR compressed brand Cheridan model 392PA, a rifle springfield serial number 859 458 and an unmarked 22 caliber rifle-4070 series.
The team said they recovered a Mossberg series US 02670 12 gauge shotgun, a Ruger brand 22 gauge fuse series 11392812, a Rifle 12 property PNH brand Taurus PA 010275, a Rifle M.1 series 4365247, one mossberg rifle model MAVERICK series 962E and one mossberg 12 gauge rifle.
The team has at the same time vowed to liberate more regions and enable the reopening of schools.
This was after a number of schools reopened in parts of Delmas on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince.
The area was in the grip of criminal gangs who had crippled operations. This is an area of Delmas that was dominated by Barbecue and has been pacified now, officials said.
Kenya police in charge of Multinational Security Support (MSS) community engagement visited some of the schools and interacted with pupils during the hoisting of the Haitian National flag to mark the start of the new 24/25 academic year.
Head of the operation Geoffrey Otunge said this activity will be duplicated across several other schools and is part of a traditional Community Police/Edupol (PCE) program aimed at academic motivation to give sense of citizenship and patriotism among young schoolchildren.
“We will move to other areas to ensure schools operate,” he said.
Officials said the October
12 and 14 operation was met with resistance but the authorities managed to
drive away the gang.
“Our brave police officers have carried out penetrations into strategic areas used by criminals for some time to commit their crimes. As part of the fight to track down armed gangs throughout the national territory, the Haitian National Police continues its operations and interventions in several areas of the country,” read part of the statement by the Haitian National Police (HNP).
However, despite defeating the gangs, an armoured vehicle ferrying the Kenyan officers experienced engine failure and could not be restarted despite the intervention of technicians who were on site.
“The PNH remains mobilized in the continuation of these said operations in order to neutralize the leader of the Gang and terrorist, Vitelhomme Innocent and his acolytes,” the statement by the Haitian police read.
Another statement by the MSS team confirmed the
same.
“It is against this backdrop that MSS is sending a strong warning to key gang leaders to stop the barbarous acts of rapes, extortion, kidnapping, blackmail and killings. We wish to call out other gang members, especially the "Kraze Baryé ' gang led by the most wanted criminal Vitelhomme Innocent, to stop committing atrocities against innocent Haitians whose only wish and prayer is to live peacefully.”
“We therefore call upon all Haitians to rally
behind and continue supporting MSS/HNP joint operations that have borne
fruits,” the statement added.
The officials said operations and patrols saw several gang members arrested with others escaping with life-threatening
injuries.
The developments come against the backdrop of Haiti Prime Minister Garry Conille's visit to Kenya.
During his visit to the country, Conille
commended the Kenyan police for their immense efforts in restoring serenity in
the Caribbean nation.
He alongside President William Ruto at State House in Nairobi rallied the international community to do more to help restore peace in Haiti.
“Kenya and Haiti, therefore, stand united in
calling on the international community to urgently rally behind this Mission.
The adoption by the United Nations Security Council to extend the term of the
MSS by another year signals strong global support,” Ruto stated.
"Words and pledges must be matched by
concrete action. We therefore strongly implore our global partners to
accelerate their contribution to the personnel, logistics and financial
resources necessary to sustain and expand the Mission," he added.
Over 700,000 people in Haiti have fled their
homes and over five million are going hungry - nearly half the population,
according to the United Nations.
Last month, the UN Security Council
unanimously authorised extending the MSS's mandate by another year.
A US push for a plan to turn it into a UN peacekeeping mission was dropped from the resolution due to opposition from Russia and China.