One Kenyan police officer has been reported missing in Haiti after an attack by suspected gang members at the town of Pont-Sondé, situated at a key junction on the road linking the beleaguered capital Port-au-Prince to the second largest city of Cap-Haïtien on the northern coast.
“The officer disappeared on Tuesday at around 4:30 PM during a patrol along the Carrefour Paye-Savien Main Supply Route in the Pont-Sondé area, Artibonite Department,” the National Police Service (NPS) confirmed in a statement early yesterday.
The unnamed officer is part of the UN-backed Multinational Security Support (MSS) Mission, comprising international police and military forces, involved in a peace support initiative in the troubled Caribbean country decimated by numerous criminal gangs.
With specificity, NPS representative and MSS spokesperson in Haiti, Jack Ombaka, said the missing officer was abducted during a rescue operation after a Haitian National Police armoured vehicle on patrol became stuck in a ditch, believed to have been dug by the criminals.
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“In response, two MSS Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles from Pont-Sondé were dispatched to assist in the recovery,” Officer Ombaka stated.
“Unfortunately, during the recovery operation, one of the MRAPs also got stuck, while the other developed a mechanical issue. As the rescue teams attempted to resolve the situation, suspected gang members lying in wait launched an attack,” he added.
This is not the first attack on Kenyan officers in Haiti.
On 13th February, a 26-year-old police constable was fatally wounded during an operation in Ségur-Savien, marking the first casualty among the Kenyan contingent.
Samuel Tompoi Kaetuai’s body was flown back, and he was laid to rest this month at his family home in Naserian Village, Kajiado County.
Kenya has deployed at least 800 police officers under the MSS mission to Haiti to help combat gangs.
Haiti has been beset by gang violence and political instability for years.
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