The Kenyan commander of the Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti (MSSM), Godfrey Otunge, has requested choppers in the fight against organised gangs in Haiti.
In a statement on Sunday, September 15, 2024, Otunge said he had met a senior US military officer who is also a ranking member of the Haiti mission and briefed him on the tactical needs of the MSSM.
“Otunge highlighted the progress made by the MSS and some of the challenges they have encountered since the arrival of the first Kenyan contingent on 25th June 2024.
“He stressed the need to establish Forward Operating Bases (FOBs), which are aimed at maintaining already pacified areas and critical infrastructure that have been recaptured from gangs. Otunge also stressed the need for helicopters for evacuation and insertion during security operations,” the statement read in part.
Since the arrival of the Kenyan police officers in the Caribbean country, they have managed to gain control of regions and government infrastructure that were formerly in the clutches of the gangs.
Progress in Haiti
On July 19, 2024, the law enforcement officers collaborated with their Haitian counterparts to recapture Port-au-Prince port after a fierce gun battle with gang members who had occupied the strategic seaport since March 6, 2024.
While no Kenyan casualties have been reported save for an officer who sustained a gunshot injury following a gunfight with gang members, the Kenyan Security Counsel Advisor Monica Juma made it clear that the Kenyan mission in Haiti was primarily to protect civilians, opening up routes for movement of people, goods, and humanitarian aid, and protecting state institutions.
On August 10, 2024, Otunge made an appeal to the mission partners, including the US, to speed up the delivery of tactical equipment for the Kenyan soldiers on the ground.
On July 8, 2024, the US availed several Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles to help in the reclamation of previously gang-controlled regions.
They also availed several protective gears in their efforts to bring back peace in the country. In a state function with President William Ruto, US President Joe Biden revealed that the US would contribute Ksh46 billion to the mission.
The mission got a major boost on Friday, September 13, 2024, after police officers from Jamaica and Belize joined their Kenyan counterparts.
Benin, the Bahamas, Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, Bangladesh, Algeria, Canada, France, Germany, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, the UK, and Spain are expected to provide either financial or personnel support to the mission.
