Kenyan police in Haiti suffer more casualties in clashes with gangs

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti

Two Kenyan police officers in Haiti have been seriously injured in clashes with gangs over the past week, three officers told Reuters, adding to the mission's growing list of casualties as it comes under increasingly frequent attack.

Kenya first deployed officers last June to the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission, which currently has around 1,000 security personnel, about three-quarters of them from Kenya.

The mission, aimed at restoring enough security for Haiti to hold elections by February 2026, has faced morale issues almost from the start and uncertainty about its possible expansion amid escalating gang violence.

It suffered its first fatality in February, and the MSS reported another Kenyan officer missing last week. The three officers, who asked not to be named for fear of reprisal, said he was believed to be dead.

They said the two injuries came during routine patrols in and around the capital, Port-au-Prince, which is mostly controlled by heavily armed gangs blamed for thousands of deaths since 2021.

MSS spokesperson Jack Ombaka confirmed two officers had been evacuated to the Dominican Republic for medical care.

"As in any mission, casualties are sometimes unavoidable," he said.

The three officers said the gangs were attacking them on an increasingly regular basis and complained that their equipment was inadequate.

They said one of the officers was shot in the head after a bullet pierced his helmet and the other was hit in the ear when a gunshot penetrated the walls of an armoured vehicle.

Twenty armoured vehicles have been grounded since this weekend after officers refused to use them, complaining that this was the second time a vehicle had failed to stop a bullet, the three officers said.

An MSS delegation plans to travel to Washington this week to present concerns over the quality of protective gear to U.S. officials, two senior MSS officers told Reuters.

The United States has provided most of the funding and equipment for the mission, which has struggled to secure significant contributions from other countries.

Kenya's government has cited humanitarian reasons for its intervention in Haiti, though analysts say the deployment is also motivated by a desire to boost the country's international profile and win favour with the United States.

Asked about concerns about the equipment, Ombaka said: "MSS continues to receive increased logistical support from partners and stakeholders, with assurances that all equipment meets international standards."

The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.