Kenyan officer missing in Haiti after gang ambush

The African state recently lost one of its personnel during a policing operation in the Caribbean nation

A Kenyan police officer deployed in Haiti as part of the UN-backed Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) has gone missing after being ambushed by suspected gang members, according to authorities.

The attack happened on Tuesday in the town of Pont-Sonde, where officers had been sent to rescue a Haitian national police vehicle that had been trapped in a ditch while on patrol, the MSS said in a statement.

“As the rescue teams attempted to resolve the situation, suspected gang members lying in wait launched an attack. As a result of the incident, one MSS Kenyan contingent officer remains unaccounted for,” it stated.

“Specialized teams have been deployed to conduct a search and determine his whereabouts,” the mission added.

The incident in the area, approximately 60 miles north of Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, comes a month after a Kenyan police constable was fatally shot during an anti-gang operation in Segur-Savien. Samuel Tompoi Kaetuai’s body was flown home and buried this month.

Pont-Sonde and Segur-Savien are both in the Artibonite region, the Caribbean country’s largest department.

READ MORE: African state deploys more police to Haiti

Kenya is leading the international effort to assist Haiti’s national police in reclaiming gang-controlled areas, including the majority of the capital. The Caribbean nation has endured decades of political instability, devastating earthquakes and violence. A devastating quake struck the country’s capital Port-au-Prince in 2010, killing up to 300,000 people. The volatile political situation spiraled out of control in 2021, when the country’s president, Jovenel Moise, was assassinated.

Kenya offered to lead and contribute 1,000 officers to a policing mission to Haiti following months of appeals from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. The mission went ahead despite the high court in the East African nation deeming it unconstitutional.

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In December, the government deployed 400 officers to the troubled country and another 200 earlier this year. Last month, the MSS announced that an additional 144 Kenyan officers had arrived in Port-au-Prince to support the operation.

On Wednesday, the Kenya National Police Service says it has been notified about the missing officer in Haiti, whose name remained undisclosed.

“We commend the National Police officers in Haiti, who remain committed to fulfilling the mandate of the Multinational Security Support Mission,” it said in a statement.