Haiti gang ambush, kill three soldiers, injure many, officials say

At least three Haitian soldiers were killed in a gang ambush Sunday in a town on the outskirts of Haiti’s capital of Port-au-Prince, Haitian authorities confirmed.

Kenya police, who are operating under the Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS), joined to fight off the gang's advances.

The area of Kenscoff has been under heavy fire in recent days as Haitian law enforcement has warred with the gang coalition known as Viv Ansanm.

It’s just the latest explosion of violence as Haitian authorities and foreign forces scramble to rein in gang warfare in the Caribbean nation.

Haiti’s government in a post on the social media platform X wrote that the soldiers died “on the front line … weapons in hand.”

“These soldiers are not just members of our armed forces. They are worthy sons of the Nation, defenders of our sovereignty, whose ultimate sacrifice will never be forgotten. Their commitment is a powerful reminder that freedom and security come at a price, and that this price is sometimes paid in the blood of our bravest,” wrote the Haitian government in a statement.

Local media reported earlier in the day that a military reinforcement mission, travelling in an unarmored car, was transporting soldiers to a conflictive area in Kenscoff, when the soldiers were violently targeted by heavily armed men.

Video circulating on social media showed soldiers in camouflage pulling bodies out of the truck after the Sunday incident.

Soon after the ambush, Kenyan officers and their Haitian counterparts from the Haitian National Police (PNH) launched a manhunt for the gangs, leaving many of them with injuries.

The MSS mission, led by Kenya, was launched to support Haitian authorities in restoring order amid escalating gang violence. 

Reports say Haiti is sinking deeper into crisis as gangs tighten their stranglehold on the country, now controlling more than 85 per cent of the capita,l Port-au-Prince.

Haiti has a long and fraught history of prolonged foreign interventions that have failed to secure lasting political stability, and the current crisis is no exception.

In a bid to restore order to the increasingly insecure state, the U.S. and Kenya entered into a defence agreement in 2023 to deploy Kenyan troops to Port-au-Prince.

But since their delayed arrival in the capital in June 2024, the Kenyan troops haven’t made meaningful progress in curbing gang violence.

Nearly 23,000 people were displaced in just one week in March, he said.

The crisis has also cut into vital supply lines across the country.