A team
of Kenyan police in Haiti Thursday fought and recaptured a police station that
had been occupied by criminal gangs.
This happened
in collaboration with the Haitian
National Police (HNP) and under the Multinational Security Support Mission
(MSS), officials said.
They
opened the station marking their third Forward Operating Base (FOB) after the
ones at the National Police Academy and at Pont-Sonde.
The General
Inspectorate of the National Police of Haiti (IGPNH) building which at been
deserted and abandoned because of attacks from gangs will house MSS personnel
as renovation starts immediately to make it habitable and operational.
Efforts from gangs to try to thwart occupation
of the building was promptly dealt with where they disappeared into thin air
after testing the firepower of the newly acquired weapons that MSS officers
were using, officials said.
The MSS intends to use the base to pacify the
seafront, the port and the neighbouring Delmas area where criminal gang leader Jimmy Chérisier, aka "Barbecue"
and his group clashed with the police.
The team says they
are focused on their mission despite attempts by gangs to attack homes in parts
of Port-au-Prince.
The specialized units of the
national police were mobilized to dislodge and neutralize the gang leaders of
the criminal coalition "Viv Ansanm", who threatened to plunge the
country into chaos alongside his accomplices, a statement said.
Kenyan
police alongside those from Jamaica, Belize and Bahamas are in Haiti to help
stabilize the country amid financial constraints.
There are however concerns that
even if the team manages to dislodge the bandits from this stronghold, the
absence of an immediate and lasting occupation by the police or the army will
allow them to return quickly.
Recent
developments in Haiti have left many Haitians questioning the role of MSS and
its handling of the current security situation amid an apparent surge in gang
activities.
The Kenyan team arrived in Haiti in June 2024 to help in containing the gangs.
They say
their impact felt at Toussaint Louverture International
Airport (TLIA), Carrefour Drouillard, Cazeau, Carrefour l’aeroport, IGHNP
Building, National Port Authority (APN), Champ de Mars, Solino, Fort
National, National Police College, Pont Sonde, Carrefour Paye,
l’Estere, La Croix and Petite Riviere, Vivi Mitchell, Downtown,
Delmas, Torcelle, Bourdon, Christ Roi and Verreux Fuel Terminal.
This
comes as the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) warned the number of
children in Haiti recruited by armed groups has jumped by 70 percent in the
past year.
Children
make up almost half of gang membership.
Haiti
has suffered from decades of political instability, but in recent months, the
Caribbean country has seen a surge in violence with gangs now controlling 80
percent of the capital Port-au-Prince.
"The
unprecedented spike, registered between the second quarters of 2023 and 2024,
points to a worsening protection crisis for children in the violence-plagued
Caribbean Island," UNICEF said in a statement.
At
present, up to half of all members in armed groups are children."
The spike in recruitment of children has been fueled by escalating violence, widespread poverty, lack of education, and a near collapse of critical infrastructure, the statement said.
"Children in Haiti are trapped in a vicious cycle -- recruited into the very armed groups that are fueling their desperation, and the numbers are growing," UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said in the statement.
"This unacceptable trend must be reversed by ensuring children's safety and welfare are prioritized by all parties."
In September, the UN renewed the mandate of MSS for a year.
