A Kenyan police officer has gone missing in Haiti after gang assault incident

A Kenyan police officer assigned to Haiti as part of an international security force has gone missing following an assault by suspected gang members.

The incident occurred while the force was assisting a vehicle from the Haitian national police that had become stuck in a ditch, according to a statement from the mission.

“As rescue teams worked to address the situation, gang members who had been lying in wait launched an attack,” the statement noted. In response to the incident, specialized teams have been dispatched to search for the missing officer.

The attack took place on Tuesday during a patrol operation in the town of Pont-Sondé, as reported by the Multinational Security Support (MSS) Mission to Haiti.

Haitian media outlets have suggested that the officer may have been killed by the gangs, although this has not been verified.

The Kenya National Police Service has acknowledged being informed about the missing officer in Haiti.

They emphasized that the officers deployed there remain dedicated to their mission, despite some calls from Kenyans urging the police to return home.

This incident marks another attack on Kenyan officers in Haiti.

Last month, a 26-year-old police constable was tragically killed during an operation in Ségur-Savien, marking the first fatality among the Kenyan contingent.

The body of Samuel Tompoi Kaetuai was repatriated and laid to rest earlier this month.

Kenya has sent at least 800 police officers as part of the MSS mission to Haiti to assist in combating gang violence.

This force was deployed in June of the previous year to help restore order in a country where gangs have taken control of nearly the entire capital, Port-au-Prince, as well as many rural regions.

In 2024 alone, gang-related violence in Haiti has resulted in over 5,500 deaths, with more than a million people displaced from their homes.

By Rédaction Africanews