Kenyan-Led Police Mission in Haiti Faces Urgency for Tangible Results

The Kenyan-led police mission in Haiti needs to swiftly show results in gang-controlled areas where residents rely heavily on criminal leaders. The mission, part of a U.N.-backed effort, began in June with several hundred Kenyan officers working alongside national police to regain control and provide security.

The Kenyan-led police mission in Haiti is facing pressure to rapidly produce visible outcomes, especially in gang-controlled areas where residents remain dependent on criminal leaders, according to a security bulletin on Wednesday. The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) emphasized that the Multinational Security Support (MSS) must quickly deliver security results to be seen as part of the solution.

In late June, several hundred Kenyan police officers arrived in Haiti and began patrolling with national police under a U.N.-backed mission aimed at combating armed gangs that dominate much of Port-au-Prince. Over half a million people are internally displaced, and nearly 5 million face severe hunger.

While authorities have regained major infrastructure control, GI-TOC warned that civilians in gang-controlled areas depend on criminal groups for regulations, food, and work. The bulletin added that gangs might use residents as human shields against the police and MSS. Despite bringing operational support to Haiti's under-resourced police, uncertainty surrounds the mission's strategy and engagement rules. Several countries have pledged troops, but deployment timelines remain unclear.

(With inputs from agencies.)