A Kenyan police officer deployed in Haiti as part of a multinational security mission was killed on Sunday following a confrontation with gang members north of the capital, Port-au-Prince.
The officer’s death marks the first fatality since the Kenyan-led force arrived in the crisis-stricken Caribbean nation in June 2024.
According to a statement from the Multinational Security Support Mission to Haiti, the officer sustained critical injuries during an operation in the Artibonite department. He was airlifted to a hospital for treatment but later succumbed to his wounds.
Jack Ombaka, the mission’s spokesperson, confirmed that this was the first casualty suffered by the U.N.-backed anti-gang force, which was deployed to combat the escalating violence that has displaced more than a million Haitians.
“We salute our fallen hero,” Ombaka said in a statement. “We will pursue these gangs to the last man standing. We will not let you down.”
The officer’s death comes amid a surge in gang-related violence in Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas over the past week, further intensifying concerns over security and stability in the country.
