Kenyan police officer killed confronting gang members in Haiti

A Kenyan police officer, part of the international security force in Haiti, has been killed during a clash with gang members. This marks the first casualty for the Kenyan-led Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission, which was deployed in June last year to help restore order in Haiti, where gangs have taken control of most of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and large parts of rural areas.

In 2024 alone, over 5,500 people were killed in gang violence, and more than a million people have been displaced. The officer was injured in Artibonite, a region north of the capital, during a security operation in the town of Pont-Sondé. He was airlifted to a hospital but succumbed to his injuries shortly thereafter.

Gen. Godfrey Otunge, the commander of the multinational force, confirmed the incident, describing the officer as a "fallen hero" who died while "fighting for the people of Haiti." The Kenyan Foreign Ministry expressed deep sorrow over the officer’s loss.

The MSS, which includes forces from countries such as the Bahamas, Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Jamaica, has faced challenges due to being outmanned and outgunned by the well-armed gangs, which have access to powerful weapons smuggled from the US. Despite an increase in the number of Kenyan officers earlier this month, the force remains under-equipped for the scale of violence it faces.

The future of the multinational force was uncertain after the Trump administration froze foreign aid programs, though US Secretary of State Marco Rubio later approved a waiver for US funds meant for the MSS and Haiti's National Police. It remains unclear whether the US will support transitioning the MSS into a UN peacekeeping mission, which would provide more secure funding.