A multi-agency team in Haiti launched an operation in a Port-au-Prince slum on Monday January 27, 2025, recovering a high-quality weapon.

“Fatalities occurred among criminal gangs that attacked the Kenscoff area,” officials said.

MSS Force Commander Godfrey Otunge explained that distress calls from Kenscoff prompted a quick response.

“Several gang members were arrested, and others were killed,” said Otunge.

“A firearm and communication radio were recovered,” he added.

Otunge noted the mission is at a pivotal moment, requiring continued support.

Ongoing operations against gangs

In the past three weeks, the MSS and Haitian National Police (PNH) have carried out joint operations to dismantle gangs.

In Thomassin, several arrests were made, with some gang members killed in clashes.

The MSS mission, led by Kenya and authorized by the UN, aims to assist the Haitian National Police in restoring order amidst rising gang violence.

There are 600 Kenyan police officers in Haiti, along with personnel from Jamaica, The Bahamas, Belize, Guatemala, and El Salvador, bringing total foreign security personnel to nearly 800.

Rising violence and humanitarian crisis

Despite foreign forces and a new transition government, gangs took control of more neighborhoods last year, committing massacres and deepening Haiti’s humanitarian crisis.

The UN reported more than 5,600 deaths from gang violence last year, with over one million Haitians displaced. Kenya has pledged 1,000 officers to lead the mission.