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Kenyan Police In Haiti Suffer New Scutlle As Gangs Develop Sophisticated Strategies

As Kenyan police and Haitian officers work together to end gang violence in the Caribbean nation, the gangs have devised new strategies to combat the peacekeepers.

On October 20, the DW news outlet shared a video in which journalists from the publication went on a patrol with Kenyan officers in the suburbs of Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital, where gangs control several streets.

Despite Kenyan officers’ remarkable efforts to open up several routes, some parts of the city remain inaccessible due to high gang activity.

In one of the towns near Port-au-Prince, the gangs erected large containers along the roads leading to the city to block the peacekeepers from accessing residential areas.

The gangs frequently use shipping containers stolen from the port to barricade the roads, forcing Kenyan police to clear them out with armoured vehicles.

During the operation, locals were on high alert to avoid being caught up in a fierce shootout between Kenyan police and the dreaded gangs.

Another strategy used by the gangs is to pelt the Kenyan contingent with jerricans full of petrol in order to prevent them from opening fire on the gang members.

In one of the incidents, a gang member was caught throwing a leaking can of petrol at the vehicle transporting the officers.

The gangs then threw a burning projectile at the officers, intending to set the armoured vehicle on fire.

Their attempts to set fire to the officers’ vehicles were unsuccessful, as armed police quickly intervened and extinguished the flame.

After several unsuccessful attempts to burn the armored vehicles, the gangs turned to shooting at them in an attempt to drive the officers out of the gang-infested areas.

However, the tenacious officers did not hesitate and began firing back, forcing the gangs back into hiding.

During the patrol, the gangs erected skulls from cadavers along the roads to intimidate Kenyan police officers.

“The skulls are usually erected there to intimidate us, sending a message that we should not attempt to gain entry to the street,” narrated a Kenyan police officer.

“It is very dangerous but then we need to keep pressing on, we can not leave the gangs to control the area, and then the Asians also reply on hemp from the International communities, we need more people supporting us and more equipment so that we can keep pushing on,” noted Arnold Mugo, the patrol commander.

However, Mission Commander Godfrey Otunge stated that, despite the mission’s challenges, the officers had made incredible progress in defeating the gangs.

“You talk about the airport, it is working, you talk about the hotels, the hotels in Port-au-Prince are fully booked, the businesses that were closed are now opening up, schools that were closed are now being reopened,” Otunge narrated.

“Immediately I get what I want in terms of equipment, personnel and funding, it is just a matter of time because the mission’s mandate has been extended by one year,” Otunge added.