Haiti faces security crossroads as Kenyan forces withdraw
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (CMC) — Haiti’s already fragile security environment is entering a new phase with the gradual departure of nearly 500 Kenyan police officers who had been supporting operations against armed gangs there.
Their withdrawal, expected to be completed by Thursday April 30, 2026, has left the Haitian National Police (PNH) and Armed Forces of Haiti scrambling to fill critical gaps.
Speaking at the 6th Conference of the Sectoral Security Table (TSS), Director General of the PNH, Vladimir Paraison, admitted the force is at a turning point and warned that the exit of Kenyan personnel has weakened positions previously stabilised through joint operations, particularly in volatile areas such as Croix-des-Bouquets, Delmas and downtown Port-au-Prince.
Police Chief Paraison described the loss as stripping the police of a “second line of defense”, while Mayor Massillon Jean cautioned that residents now fear renewed gang incursions without the Kenyan presence.
The Kenyan contingent had been deployed under a multinational framework since June 2024, but delays in launching Haiti’s planned Gang Repression Force (FRG) have complicated the transition. Authorities say timelines for the FRG remain uncertain, even as the Government moves to deploy members of the Armed Forces of Haiti.
Officials expect troop numbers to reach about 400 by the end of April, with the army tasked to hold reclaimed territory while the police lead frontline engagements.
Defence Minister Mario Andrésol also announced plans to train 1,200 new recruits to strengthen military capacity.
The withdrawal of the Kenyan forces coincides with the rollout of a new Gang Suppression Force (GSF), approved by the United Nations Security Council in October 2025. Chadian forces will lead the mission, with South African United Nations (UN) official Jack Christofides appointed as special representative. Christofides, who has overseen peacekeeping operations across Africa, succeeds Kenya’s Godfrey Otunge in directing the multinational effort. The first batch of Chadian police arrived in Haiti earlier this month.
Despite successes, the Kenyan mission recorded casualties, with at least three officers killed in the line of duty.
