PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI – A Kenyan police officer deployed in Haiti as part of the Multinational Security Support (MSS) Mission has gone missing following an ambush by suspected gang members, authorities confirmed.
According to the MSS Mission, the officer was assisting the Haitian National Police (HNP) in retrieving a stranded vehicle when armed assailants launched a coordinated attack.
The incident occurred on Tuesday in the town of Pont-Sondé. Security teams were responding to an HNP armored vehicle that had become stuck in a ditch while patrolling the Carrefour Paye-Savien Main Supply Route. Another vehicle in the convoy also experienced mechanical failure, prompting a rescue mission.
Authorities suspect the gangs may have intentionally dug the ditch to trap security forces before launching the ambush.
“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,” the MSS Mission stated.
Following the attack, specialized units were deployed to locate the missing officer. Local Haitian media reports speculate that the officer may have been killed, though officials have not confirmed these claims.
According to Reuters, videos circulating on social media allegedly show the body of a soldier in a blood-stained uniform, though it remains unclear if the footage is related to the missing officer.
This latest incident marks another deadly assault on Kenyan forces in Haiti.
Last month, Kenyan police constable Samuel Tompoi Kaetuai, 26, became the first casualty among the Kenyan contingent after being killed during an operation in Ségur-Savien. His remains were flown back to Kenya and laid to rest earlier this month.
The MSS Mission, authorized by the United Nations, is aimed at supporting Haiti’s police in combating escalating gang violence. However, the deployment has faced growing risks, with criminal groups increasingly targeting security forces.
Authorities continue efforts to locate the missing officer as tensions in Haiti’s security crisis persist.
