Latest news with #GodfreyOtunge
Straits Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
A year in, Haiti mission leader warns of shortfalls in troops, funds, gear
FILE PHOTO: People protest against gang-related violence and to demand the resignation of Haiti's transitional presidential council, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, May 15, 2025. REUTERS/Jean Feguens Regala/File Photo FILE PHOTO: Members of a neighbourhood watch drive up a hill while patrolling a residential area after gangs torched homes, amid a surge in violence that has displaced approximately 1.3 million people in six months, according to U.N. estimates, in Furcy, Haiti June 24, 2025. REUTERS/Jean Feguens Regala/File Photo PORT-AU-PRINCE - The commander of the United Nations-backed security mission in Haiti, mandated to fight powerful armed gangs in the nation, on Thursday called on more countries to lend their support as he marked one year since the first troops deployed. The first deployment of police from Kenya, which is leading the mission, arrived last June, over a year and a half after Haiti's government had first requested urgent support. "As a new model, funded by voluntary partners, the mission faces challenges - including funding, personnel and logistics - that are being addressed to enable the mission to achieve its objectives on schedule," Godfrey Otunge, commander of the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission, told reporters at an event in Port-au-Prince, the capital. While the U.N. aimed for the mission, which was sent to aid the Haitian National Police, to reach some 2,500 troops, well under half are currently deployed. More than 3,000 personnel were pledged in initial commitments. In a note sent to the U.N. Security Council last week, Kenyan President William Ruto said 991 troops were currently deployed, mostly Kenyans but also 150 Guatemalans, 78 Salvadorans, 23 Jamaicans, six Bahamians and two Belizeans. He said that many were on standby because existing contracts for logistical support could not provide for them. "The MSS is also operating below the required capabilities in terms of equipment and operational support necessary to execute the mission effectively," Ruto added. "The equipment levels stand at below 30% of planned capabilities." Despite the lack of resources, Otunge said on Thursday that the mission had managed to establish two key strategic bases in the Artibonite department, the area outside the capital worst-hit by the violence. Haitian leaders have repeatedly called for the voluntary mission to be converted into a formal U.N. peacekeeping mission in order to shore up resources, but efforts stalled at the Security Council after opposition from Russia and China. Gang violence in Haiti has displaced some 1.3 million people from their homes, fueling hunger and insecurity, while hospitals have shut their doors, and much of the economy, judicial system and government remain paralyzed. Some 580,000 people were displaced before the first deployment. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Reuters
2 days ago
- Politics
- Reuters
A year in, Haiti mission leader warns of shortfalls in troops, funds, gear
PORT-AU-PRINCE, June 26 (Reuters) - The commander of the United Nations-backed security mission in Haiti, mandated to fight powerful armed gangs in the nation, on Thursday called on more countries to lend their support as he marked one year since the first troops deployed. The first deployment of police from Kenya, which is leading the mission, arrived last June, over a year and a half after Haiti's government had first requested urgent support. "As a new model, funded by voluntary partners, the mission faces challenges - including funding, personnel and logistics - that are being addressed to enable the mission to achieve its objectives on schedule," Godfrey Otunge, commander of the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission, told reporters at an event in Port-au-Prince, the capital. While the U.N. aimed for the mission, which was sent to aid the Haitian National Police, to reach some 2,500 troops, well under half are currently deployed. More than 3,000 personnel were pledged in initial commitments. In a note sent to the U.N. Security Council last week, Kenyan President William Ruto said 991 troops were currently deployed, mostly Kenyans but also 150 Guatemalans, 78 Salvadorans, 23 Jamaicans, six Bahamians and two Belizeans. He said that many were on standby because existing contracts for logistical support could not provide for them. "The MSS is also operating below the required capabilities in terms of equipment and operational support necessary to execute the mission effectively," Ruto added. "The equipment levels stand at below 30% of planned capabilities." Despite the lack of resources, Otunge said on Thursday that the mission had managed to establish two key strategic bases in the Artibonite department, the area outside the capital worst-hit by the violence. Haitian leaders have repeatedly called for the voluntary mission to be converted into a formal U.N. peacekeeping mission in order to shore up resources, but efforts stalled at the Security Council after opposition from Russia and China. Gang violence in Haiti has displaced some 1.3 million people from their homes, fueling hunger and insecurity, while hospitals have shut their doors, and much of the economy, judicial system and government remain paralyzed. Some 580,000 people were displaced before the first deployment.
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Kenyan police officer killed confronting gang members in Haiti
A Kenyan police officer who was on patrol with the international security force in Haiti has been killed in a confrontation with gang members. The officer is the first casualty suffered by the Kenyan-led Multinational Security Support mission (MSS). The force was sent to Haiti in June last year to help restore order to the country, where gangs have seized control of almost the entire capital, Port-au-Prince, as well as large swathes of rural areas. More than 5,500 people were killed in gang-related violence in Haiti in 2024 and more than a million people have fled their homes. On patrol with Kenyan forces inside Haiti's gang warzone The commander of the multinational force, Gen Godfrey Otunge, said the Kenyan police officer had been injured in Artibonite, a region north of the capital. Gen Otunge said the officer, who has not been named, had been immediately airlifted to hospital, where he died a short while later. Jack Ombaka, the spokesman for the MSS, said in a statement sent to Reuters news agency that the officer was a "fallen hero" who "was killed while fighting for the people of Haiti", while Kenya's foreign ministry said it was "heartbroken by the loss" of the officer. Mr Ombaka said the officer had been shot by a gang member during a security operation in the town of Pont-Sondé. He added that the multinational force would "pursue these gangs to the last man standing". The MSS was boosted earlier this month by the arrival of an additional 200 Kenyan police officers, but the force is outgunned and outmanned by the gangs, which continue to arm themselves with powerful weapons illegally smuggled from the US. The future of the multinational force - which also has officers from Bahamas, Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala and Jamaica among its ranks - was thrown into doubt some weeks ago when the Trump administration ordered a freeze on foreign aid programmes. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio later approved a waiver for US funds destined for the MSS and Haiti's National Police, but it is not yet clear whether the US government supports turning the MSS into a UN peacekeeping operation, which would make its funding more secure. Trump ends deportation protection for 500,000 Haitians Sexual violence against children in Haiti rises by 1,000%, UN says Guatemalan forces arrive in Haiti to fight gangs
BBC News
24-02-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Haiti gangs: Kenyan police officer killed on duty
A Kenyan police officer who was on patrol with the international security force in Haiti has been killed in a confrontation with gang officer is the first casualty suffered by the Kenyan-led Multinational Security Support mission (MSS).The force was sent to Haiti in June last year to help restore order to the country, where gangs have seized control of almost the entire capital, Port-au-Prince, as well as large swathes of rural areas. More than 5,500 people were killed in gang-related violence in Haiti in 2024 and more than a million people have fled their homes. On patrol with Kenyan forces inside Haiti's gang warzoneThe commander of the multinational force, Gen Godfrey Otunge, said the Kenyan police officer had been injured in Artibonite, a region north of the capital. Gen Otunge said the officer, who has not been named, had been immediately airlifted to hospital, where he died a short while Ombaka, the spokesman for the MSS, said in a statement sent to Reuters news agency that the officer was a "fallen hero" who "was killed while fighting for the people of Haiti", while Kenya's foreign ministry said it was "heartbroken by the loss" of the officer. Mr Ombaka said the officer had been shot by a gang member during a security operation in the town of Pont-Sondé.He added that the multinational force would "pursue these gangs to the last man standing". The MSS was boosted earlier this month by the arrival of an additional 200 Kenyan police officers, but the force is outgunned and outmanned by the gangs, which continue to arm themselves with powerful weapons illegally smuggled from the future of the multinational force - which also has officers from Bahamas, Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala and Jamaica among its ranks - was thrown into doubt some weeks ago when the Trump administration ordered a freeze on foreign aid programmes. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio later approved a waiver for US funds destined for the MSS and Haiti's National Police, but it is not yet clear whether the US government supports turning the MSS into a UN peacekeeping operation, which would make its funding more secure.
The Hill
24-02-2025
- The Hill
Kenyan police officer sent to Haiti to help rein in violent gangs is killed in fighting
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — A Kenyan police officer sent to Haiti to help rein in violent gangs was fatally shot in a fight with one of the gangs, Kenyan authorities said Sunday. The shooting happened in the western Artibonite region, where Kenyan police sent to neutralize Haitian gangs were conducting an operation this past week. The Kenyan mission said in a statement that officers responded to a plea for help from residents in an area known as Pont-Sonde. The police officer was airlifted out of the area and died from his injuries, Godfrey Otunge, the commander of the Kenyan forces in Haiti, said in a statement. After his shooting, officers pursued the gangsters. Mission official Jack Ombaka thanked hospital staff and Salvadoran forces also battling the gangs for their help following the shooting. 'This is the price our courageous officer paid — he was killed while fighting for the people of Haiti,' said Ombaka in a statement. 'We salute our fallen hero.' Officials provided few other details, but the Gran Grif gang controls the region. The death was a blow to efforts to try and rein in Haiti' s gangs, which have violently rampaged through the country since the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. Kenya has sent hundreds of officers to help weak Haitian law enforcement. In February, 200 more police officers from the East African country joined more than 600 other Kenyans already working alongside Haiti's National Police as part of a multinational force boosted by soldiers and police deployed by countries including Jamaica, Guatemala and El Salvador.
