- By declaring a state of emergency, the Prime Minister has given the government the tools it needs to act, eradicate the gangs and restore state authority.
- The port was one of the remaining entry points into Haiti used by the United Nations to deliver humanitarian aid to the people, most of whom are unable to fend for themselves.
Image: HANDOUT
The Kenyan police in Haiti in partnership with the local ones managed to take over the main port in Port-au-Prince which had been under the control of gangs for five months.
The team which is under the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission, managed on Wednesday, July 17, to recapture the Auorite Portuaire Nationale (APN) port, which fell to the gangs on March 6, 2024, officials said.
This came as Haitian Prime Minister Garry Conille declared a state of emergency in 14 gang-controlled municipalities.
"I authorise the Haitian National Police, with the support of the Haitian Armed Forces and the MSS, to gradually deploy and launch operations in the affected areas," Conille said.
By declaring a state of emergency, the Prime Minister has given the government the tools it needs to act, eradicate the gangs and restore state authority.
"Remember that I have always told you that Haiti will not perish and will not lose this battle," said the Prime Minister.
The commander of the MSS team Godfrey Otunge said they confronted a gang that resisted the takeover.
At the port, the gangs prevented food, medical and other supplies, including humanitarian aid, from entering the troubled Caribbean nation.
The port was one of the remaining entry points into Haiti used by the United Nations to deliver humanitarian aid to the people, most of whom are unable to fend for themselves.
The clash which ended without a casualty was the first one to happen as they travelled from Toussaint Louverture International Airport to the Autorite Portuaire Nationale port.
"Both Kenyan and Haitian agents took up positions at several points in the city as the shooting continued and managed to gain access to the port, which has been a no-go zone since March," said Otunge.
The team is supposed to among others man the port, the main airport, the presidential palace, the main hospitals and the main highways.
The takeover of the port came just 10 days after the same security agents managed to take over the University Hospital in Port-au-Prince.
The hospital had been closed since March when gangs took control of the area.
In Wednesday's operation, one of the MaxPro armoured vehicles the officers were using broke down - forcing Kenyan officers trained as mechanics to work on it in the streets as residents watched closely amid gunshots.
The armoured vehicle is a Mines Resistant Ambush-Protected (MRAP) truck, supplied by the US government and part of the Pentagon's stockpile.
The Kenyan police contingent was travelling in eight MaxPro trucks before one broke down.
Jamaica has already sent a team of six representatives to assess how the mission will work before Kingston can send its officers to Haiti.
On the declaration of a state of emergency in 14 cities, Otunge said the bold and decisive move by the Haitian government will help combat armed gangs and eventually eradicate violence that has crippled the State.
“On our part as MSS, we assure the people of Haiti and their Government commensurate effort to combat the gangs and free the country from the unending crime entanglement,” he said in a statement.
“The MSS team to Haiti continues to record significant success and milestones a month later after receiving the second contingent of troops from Kenya. The team will continue conducting its operations in Haiti after reclaiming the public hospital that was in the control of the gangs.”
He said while adhering to the internationally accepted practices and rule of law, MSS and the HNP are relentlessly striving to get rid of gang activity within the city of Port-au-Prince and its environs through all available lawful means to achieve quick wins and positive impact that will guarantee access to services and peace and stability for the local populace.
Otunge said MSS in partnership with HNP continues to conduct their daily operations in efforts to stabilize Haiti while striving to reclaim critical facilities currently under the gangs.
Apart from Kenya, other countries that have pledged to send officers to Haiti include Benin, Jamaica, the Bahamas, Belize, Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, Bangladesh, Algeria, Canada and France.