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

Haitian authorities said the attack by the gang coalition known as Viv Ansanm, happened in Kenscoff which has been under heavy fire in the last few days.

The team was on a joint security patrol with local and Kenyan officers under the Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS).

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

On January 27, the Kenya forces staged a security operation where several gang members were killed and a high caliber weapon recovered in the same area. Another Kenyan police officer was also shot and injured in the same slum on March 18.

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,” the government said in a statement.

Local media reported earlier in the day that a military reinforcement mission, traveling 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.

Several officers have been injured and other killed since the operation began.

A Kenyan officer was hit and killed by gang members on March 25, during an operation in the Lower Artibonite region, which is located 92 kilometres north of Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince.

During the tragedy, three armoured vehicles belonging to the peacekeepers were also set ablaze by gangs, creating a situation of panic among the officers.

The body of one of the Kenya police officers who is believed to have been killed by the gang members is yet to be found.

The Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja has said the multi-agency teams are still searching for the body of the officer identified as Benedict Kabiru Kuria.

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

However, with the increasing number of casualties and operational difficulties, pressure is mounting on Kenyan authorities to address growing concerns over the safety and effectiveness of the deployment.

Violence in Port-au-Prince has led to record levels of displacement, exacerbating humanitarian conditions, United NationsN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said during a press briefing on Wednesday.

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.