No respite for Haitians as gangs take war to under-equipped national, Kenyan police deployed by UN

No respite for Haitians as gangs take war to under-equipped national, Kenyan police deployed by UN

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Ninez Derosme’s husband was killed in August 2023, during a gang attack in the Carrefour-Feuilles neighbourhood of Port-au-Prince. She is now living in a displacement camp in the capital with her eight children.

Two months have passed since the arrival of 400 Kenyan police officers in Haiti, as part of a Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission approved by the UN to help restore security.

But Haitians have seen little improvement in their daily life, and gangs continue to control large swathes of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and of the neighbouring Ouest and Artibonite departments.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes and live in precarious conditions in displacement camps.

A recent Mercy Corps report shows that displacement in Haiti is very likely to rise as conflict escalates between police, international troops and gangs, further complicating humanitarian access to those in need.

Largely financed by the United States, it is hoped that the MSS could one day number up to 2,500 police and security personnel from several countries, but so far the small Kenyan contingent currently deployed says it lacks the firepower and equipment to efficiently fight the gangs.

A trust fund was set up by the UN to receive donations from country members of the UN Security Council, but funds have been slow to arrive. Both the Kenyan police officers deployed and their families have reported delays in the payments promised to them.

  • The New Humanitarian report
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