NAIROBI, Kenya Sept 19 – Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti Commander Godfrey Otunge has declared the mission a success after the force managed to drive gangs out of the streets of Port-au-Prince.
Addressing the media in Port-au-Prince, the commander said they have successfully recaptured key areas such as the airport and seaport, and that most schools and hospitals are now operational.
However, he noted that the force is facing challenges related to funding and equipment, and he appealed for assistance.
“Since our deployment as MSS on June 25th, 2024, we have been confident that MSS is a mission possible. Henceforth, we have been duty bound, guided by a singular objective to help reestablish security and support the Asian National Police against gang violence and create the conditions necessary for free and fair elections in it,” he said.
The commander paid tribute to two officers who died during the mission and one who is still missing in action, calling them heroes.
Kenyan Ambassador to Haiti Noor Gabow stated that Kenya’s mission in Haiti is to promote and protect the country’s interests.
“When I engage with diplomats and mutil and and the haters they’re very happy with what Kenyas has achieved in a short period of time but still there’s a lot of room required because the gangs can are still in Kenskov area they are still in Cité Soleil, they still in part of the of the Dalmas.”
“There a lot of boots are required on the ground to make sure that this these guns are flashed out from those areas where they are,” Gabow noted.
The Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti is an international police and military force approved by the United Nations Security Council on 2 October 2023 to assist the government of Haiti in restoring law and order amid worsening civil strife and gang violence since 2018.
Personnel have been pledged by Caribbean Community members Jamaica, Bahamas, Guyana, Barbados, and Antigua and Barbuda, as well as Bangladesh, Benin, and Chad.
More than 3,600 people have been killed in the country since January, including over 100 children, while more than 500,000 Haitians have been forced from their homes, the UN said.