At least two people were killed and eight Kenyan police officers injured after an accident involving two armored vehicles on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, officials confirmed Monday. The crash occurred Sunday evening along the Kenscoff–Pétion-Ville route when an armored vehicle towing another disabled vehicle broke down, leading to the deadly incident. According to mission spokesman Jack Ombaka, one of the fatalities was a Kenyan police officer deployed under the United Nations–backed Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) in Haiti. The second victim was a civilian caught in the accident.
Of the eight injured officers, three were reported in critical condition and were airlifted to the Dominican Republic for urgent medical treatment. The others are receiving care in Port-au-Prince. The accident highlights the risks faced by international peacekeepers as they battle powerful gangs that have paralyzed Haiti’s capital with violence. Since Kenya deployed police forces to Haiti in July 2024, three officers have died: one in Sunday’s crash, another during a gang assault, and a third still missing and presumed dead.
The Kenyan-led mission, endorsed by the U.N. Security Council and funded partly by the U.S. and other international partners, is tasked with supporting Haitian police in restoring order. But the force has faced stiff resistance from heavily armed gangs that control most of Port-au-Prince, leaving millions of residents trapped in poverty, displacement, and insecurity. Authorities said investigations are underway to determine the exact cause of the accident while efforts to stabilize Haiti continue under increasingly dangerous conditions.
