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A Kenyan police officer has gone missing in Haiti following a confrontation with criminal gangs.
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The Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) in Haiti reported that the officer disappeared on the evening of Tuesday, March 25. According to a statement, the incident occurred after the vehicle the team was using got stuck in a ditch while patrolling the Pont-Sonde area of Port-au-Prince.
The statement further explained that a Haitian National Police (HNP) armored vehicle, which was also on patrol along the Carrefour Paye-Savien Main Supply Route in the Pont-Sonde area of the Artibonite Department, became trapped in a ditch, believed to have been intentionally dug by gangs.
In response, two MSS Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles were sent to assist with the recovery effort. However, one of the MRAPs also became stuck, while the other experienced a mechanical failure. As rescue teams worked to resolve the situation, suspected gang members ambushed the team. After a firefight, one officer was found to be missing. It is believed that some gang members were injured, some fatally.
No further details have been released about the mission. This incident follows a similar attack a week earlier in which another senior Kenyan police officer was critically wounded during an operation in the same area.
The violence comes just over a month after Constable Samuel Tompoi Kaetuai was killed in the same region during an operation. Despite these challenges, the Kenyan team remains committed to combating the gangs.
Kenya has deployed around 800 police officers as part of the MSS mission in Haiti, contributing to a total force of 2,500 personnel, which also includes troops from the Bahamas, Guatemala, Bangladesh, Barbados, Benin, and Chad.
Haiti continues to face severe instability, with gangs now controlling over 85 percent of the capital, Port-au-Prince. The situation has worsened since the 2023 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse and the resignation of acting Prime Minister Ariel Henry in 2024. Despite international support, including the deployment of Kenyan troops, efforts to address gang violence have shown limited progress.
Experts argue that the international response needs better strategic planning to address the root causes of the crisis. Haiti’s deepening violence has led to the displacement of over a million people, with more than 5,500 killed in gang-related violence in 2024. The violence has caused the breakdown of law and order, the collapse of health services, and a worsening food security crisis.
