Through a UN-supported multinational mission led by Kenya, 400 Kenyan police officers have so far arrived to help the Haitian authorities crack down on gang violence.
Premier Garry Conille said on Wednesday that the operation in impoverished and gang-controlled Bel Air is under way. He made his statement while visiting a hospital in the city where three police officers were admitted after a shootout on Tuesday.
– I am tired of seeing police officers being shot. I’m tired of going to police funerals. We need to address this security issue,” Conille said.
He would not provide further details about the operation, nor did he take questions at the brief news conference. However, he urged Haitians to cooperate with the police and share any information they may have.
More than 3,200 people were killed in Haiti from January to May, and gangs control about 80 percent of the capital, Port-au-Prince. More than half a million people have been forced to leave their homes in recent years due to gang violence.
Police officers and soldiers from several countries, including Benin, Chad and Jamaica, are expected to arrive in the coming months. In total, the force will consist of 2,500 people.
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2024-08-31 20:39:13
