Kenyan Police Officer Missing After Gang Ambush in Haiti

According to a BBC News report, a Kenyan police officer deployed in Haiti as part of an international security force has gone missing following an ambush by suspected gang members. The officer was part of a team assisting a Haitian police vehicle that had become stuck in a ditch when the attackers struck, the Multinational Security Support (MSS) Mission to Haiti said in a statement.

Specialised teams have since been deployed to search for the missing officer. Haitian media reports suggest the officer may have been killed, though this remains unconfirmed. The incident occurred on Tuesday during a patrol operation in the town of Pont-Sondé.

The Kenya National Police Service stated that Kenyan officers remain committed to their mission despite calls from some Kenyans for their return. This marks the second attack on Kenyan officers in Haiti, following the fatal shooting of a 26-year-old police constable last month in Ségur-Savien—the first casualty among the Kenyan contingent.

Kenya has deployed at least 800 officers under the MSS mission to help combat gang violence in Haiti, where criminal groups have taken control of much of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and other areas. The crisis has led to over 5,500 deaths and displaced more than a million people in 2024.

Back in January, Haitian media reported that the Belizean government is reluctant to send additional Belize Defence Force (BDF) soldiers to Haiti. This followed a statement by Belize’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Francis Fonseca, who confirmed that Cabinet was recently briefed on the matter by the Ministry of National Defence and Border Security.

Fonseca noted that while Belize remains committed to the mission, certain issues need to be addressed before deploying more troops. “I think there are a few outstanding issues that have to be resolved in terms of ensuring that our soldiers are ready. They have been training. So I think, around the end of the month, they will do another assessment. Around the end of January, they’ll do another assessment of where they are, and then they will report back to Cabinet,” he said.