The continually delayed deployment of a Kenya-led Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission has raised concerns over how prepared the UN-approved and US-bankrolled force will be to face the security crisis in Haiti. An analysis from Insight Crime suggests the gangs have been using the extra time to “fortify what could be a fierce response.” A first contingent of about 200 Kenyan police officers was expected to land in the capital, Port-au-Prince, in late May, but its arrival was postponed after an advance delegation from Kenya identified a shortage of equipment and infrastructure. In an interview with the BBC, Kenyan President William Ruto said the deployment of 2,500 troops, including 1,000 Kenyan police officers, will now start mid-June.
But little is known on the rules of engagement and strategy to be put in place to fight thegangs, who control most of the capital—even whether the force will directly engage with the armed groups alongside the Haitian National Police. In the meantime, the gangs have not let up, killing three missionaries (including an American couple), attacking more police stations, and trying to seize control of the Gressier commune in Port-au-Prince. They have also posted direct threats to the MSS force and paraded their heavy weaponry on social media. Amid reports of a large inventory of Colombian weapons being sold to Haitian gangs, some experts worry that the firepower of the gangs has been underestimated.
From The New Humanitarian, May 31
Photo: Haiti Liberte
UN development specialist assumes Haiti prime minister role
UN development specialist Garry Conille arrived June 1 in Port-au-Prince to take on his new role as Haiti’s prime minister.
Conille has been serving as UNICEF regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean since January 2023. In the wake of Haiti’s 2010 earthquake, he was nominated as Haiti’s prime minister, and he held the position from October 2011 to May 2012. This year, the Transitional Presidential Council of Haiti voted 6-1 to install Conille as the new prime minister, replacing current interim prime minister Michel Patrick Boisvert.
The role of prime minister has been taken by Boisvert since Ariel Henry’s resignation in March. On May 29, Edgard LeBlanc Fils, president of the Council, announced the decision to appoint Conille. The decision is welcomed by many, including the US, which expressed willingness to cooperate with Conille in implementing multinational security plans. (Jurist)
Haiti’s transitional council on June 11 announced the formation of the new government, replacing all the members of former Prime Minister Ariel Henry’s cabinet. (Al Jazeera)
First Kenyan police troops arrive in Haiti
Hundreds of Kenyan police landed in Port-au-Prince June 27 to begin a long-delayed, UN-approved, US-bankrolled policing mission aimed at reining in gang violence and paving the way towards new elections by early 2026. (BBC News)
Is the international security force in Haiti fit for purpose?
A failed security operation near Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, is raising renewed questionsover the effectiveness of the 400 Kenyan police officers deployed to end gang violence. Two weeks ago, in what the Miami Herald called “the first significant outing” of the UN-approved Multinational Security Force (MSS), an armored convoy of Kenyan police entered Ganthier, a commune east of the capital where the ruthless 400 Mawozo gang had destroyed the police station and killed several residents. However, they left less than 24 hours later without taking control of the town, and sparking questions as to whether the MSS is fit for purpose. It is eventually expected to include 2,500 officers from different countries, but money has been slow to come, and currently the MSS is regarded as too small and poorly equipped to help the Haitian police restore security—a task that several security experts consider would also require air and maritime support. Although gangs have loosened their grip on some parts of Port-au-Prince, attacks haven’t stopped, national roads are still hard to access, and gangs are expanding in other areas. (TNH)
US sanctions former Haiti president over trafficking charges
The United States Treasury Department announced Aug. 20 that it has sanctioned Michel Joseph Martelly, the former president of Haiti, on drug trafficking charges. (Jurist)
Kenyan police fail to make headway in Haiti
Two months after the deployment of 400 Kenyan police officers—the first members of a UN-approved Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission tasked with helping to restore security in Haiti after months of intensifying gang violence—there are few signs of Haitians getting any relief. Nearly 4,000 people have been killed and injured this year, including five children every week, some of them babies. Minors are often victims of stray bullets—or targeted for being suspected of supporting rival gangs or the police, or lynched by vigilante groups.
Outnumbered and outgunned by the gangs, the much-vaunted Kenyan police contingent has called urgently for more firepower. The United States, which is largely financing the mission, has delivered some new armored vehicles and supplies but, according to Le Nouvelliste, they may not be much use without proper maintenance, better intelligence, and a winning strategy. More personnel are also called for, but the lack of funding for the mission has even caused delays in the payment of Kenyan officers’ wages. (TNH)
Blinken does Haiti as intervention force falls short
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Haiti in support of the transitional government and a UN-backed international policing mission that started deploying in June to rein in rampant gang violence. The US has largely financed the Kenya-led mission, which lacks funding and personnel and has failed to meet expectations. The UN is now considering a traditional peacekeeping operation in order to secure more funding, while Blinken announced a new $45 million humanitarian aid package. (TNH)
Jamaican troops to Haiti
Two dozen Jamaican soldiers and police officers have landed in Port-au-Prince to join 400 Kenyan police already deployed as part of a UN-approved Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission, amid growing concerns over the ability of the underfunded and understaffed force to rein in rampant gangs. Benin has reportedly put its much larger planned deployment on hold, while the US is now exploring a possible UN peacekeeping mission. (TNH)