Haitian police officers have complained to The Washington Post, in strict confidence, that Kenyan policemen should be the ones leading the fight against gangs.
According to the mission arrangement, Haitian policemen are to lead the fight against gangs with the Kenyans only providing support. But Haitian police officers who spoke in anonymity to the Washington Post believe it should be the other way round.
“The Kenyan policemen shouldn’t be patrolling the streets,” said one .”They should be attacking the gangs. They have the resources we lack, including firepower.”
“We are going to be at the forefront, but with what weapons?” another Haitian police officer asked. According to him Kenyan policemen should be the ones fighting gangs.
There are also frustrations among residents who feel that they are yet to see any changes in the security situation since the arrival of Kenyan policemen. “I can’t say much about the Kenyans yet,” said one resident. “They haven’t taken any bold actions so far. The armed groups think it’s just a bluff.”
“I don’t feel the effect of the Kenyans’ presence,” said François, whose cousin was kidnapped by a gang last year. “Nothing has changed in my life, and I don’t have increased confidence in my security. … I don’t understand why the Kenyans are here,” he told the Washington Post.
However, Haitian police chief Rameau Normil, assured reporters that they have already held a number of meetings with their Kenyan counterparts to plan operations against the gangs.
Asked when the operations would begin, Normil said “There is neither a set day nor time for operations. For strategic reasons, we cannot reveal how this will happen. The population may wake up one day to find that operations have taken place and bandits have been stopped or neutralized.”
Kenyan police officers on the other hand said they were still waiting for more equipment to arrive before beginning the operations.
“We’re ready, We have more training than the gangs. We have the capacity to kick them out. We’re going to attack the gangs where they are hidden,” said one Kenyan police officer.
Diego Da Rin, an analyst with the International Crisis Group, told the Washiali Post that Haitians have high expectations in the Kenya Police mission adding that ” if … the mission doesn’t start conducting operations soon, they might start to frown upon [its] presence.”
