Kenyan police officers on a peacekeeping mission in Haiti, on Wednesday, July, 17, took over a port that was captured by the country’s armed gangs in March.
Together with their counterparts in the large Multinational Security Support (MSS), the officers recaptured the Autorité Portuaire Nationale (APN) which is located in the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince.
Senior Assistant Inspector General of Police and MSS Mission Commander Godfrey Otunge said the gangs resisted the takeover but surrendered after a fierce fire exchange.
“The Kenyan contingent and the Haitian police officers managed to repulse the gangs who had started shooting at them. The officers then took over the port, which was controlled by the gangs,” Otunge said.
He added that the Kenyan and Haitian agents took up positions at different points in the city as the shooting continued and managed to gain access to the port.
Notably, the clash ended without a casualty.
After taking over the port five months ago, the gangs prevented food, medical and other supplies from entering the country.
The port was being used by the United Nations to deliver humanitarian aid to the residents of the Caribbean nation, who are in dire need of help.
The eviction of the gang members came hours after Haitian Prime Minister Garry Conille declared a state of emergency in 14 gang-controlled municipalities.
About 10 days ago, security agents also managed to take over the University Hospital in Port-au-Prince which had been closed since the gangs took control of the area.
Hundreds of Kenyan police officers arrived in Haiti on Wednesday, June 26 for the peacekeeping mission.
The officers were drawn from the elite Recce squad, Rapid Deployment Force, and Special Operation Group. They are operating from military barracks constructed by the United States soldiers.
Countries joining Kenya in the mission include Jamaica, Paraguay, Chile, Grenada, Burundi, Chad, Nigeria, and Mauritius.
The deployment of Kenyan officers to Haiti came after the United Nations Security Council gave the country the green light to lead a multinational peacekeeping mission.
