NAIROBI, Kenya, Ag 25 – The United States Military will delivered 24 mine-resistant ambush-protected (MRAP) MaxxPros armored vehicles to the Kenyan police in Haiti.
The vehicles were delivered to the capital’s main airport via U.S. Air Force C-17 cargo aircraft on Friday and adds to an existing fleet of 10 U.S.-provided MRAPs.
34 Overhead Gunner Protection Kits, or “turrets,” which military-funded contractors will install onto the armored vehicles to boost their field view during joint operations with the national police were also delivered.
Kenyan troops were forced to withdraw from the Haitian town of Ganthier late July, marking a major setback in one of the mission’s first significant outings from the capital.
Local media reported that the problem with the first MRAPs supplied by the Americans was that they did not have towers, preventing personnel from fighting or responding to attacks from inside.
Violence in Ganthier had by August 1 displaced nearly 6,000 residents, U.N. data showed.
Close to 600,000 people have been internally displaced by the conflict and hundreds of thousands of would-be migrants deported back to Haiti, where nearly 5 million people are suffering from severe hunger.
The mission’s initial 12-month mandate is set to end in October.
The new vehicles are much improved with a turret (firing tower) at the top to enable combat in patrol operations.
The French government has delivered 24 APC with turrets to the Haiti National Police while the US government, through the DOD, also delivered 2 more Maxxpros with turrets.
Kenya has asked for more fighting equipment including fighter choppers that will soon be delivered as the security operation advances.
The second phase expected to be more offensive against the gangs once more forces deploy!
Jamaica and Bahamas have already evaluated the Haiti situation to allow their forces to deploy.
The first team of Kenya police arrived in Haiti on June 25 and have so far helped pacify some places in Port-au-Prince amid resistance from local gangs.
Among others, the team has taken control of a local port, a national hospital and a major road from the gang.
And since then, they have been struggling and holding meetings with local ambassadors and authorities seeking for swift delivery of more resources to help them.
Among others, the police mandate is to support the efforts of the Haitian National Police (PNH) to re-establish security in Haiti and build security conditions conducive to holding free and fair elections.
Haitian Prime Minister Garry Conille raised concerns over delays in funding for the Kenyan-led mission aimed at stabilising the country.
Conille warned that the lack of timely support could undermine the entire operation and erode the credibility of the transitional government.
“People are living under very bad circumstances. So, they want to see action. They want to see movement,” he said.
“Unfortunately, the resources are not enough and not coming quickly enough. We understand that there are a lot of emergencies going on and heavy fatigue, but the good news is that there is hope.”
