MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

UN peacekeeping mission chief in Haiti promises hell for gangs

Otunge also underlined that the Guatemalan female troops were “highly trained soldiers”

With the arrival of 150 Guatemalan military police over the weekend, the United Nations (UN)-backed Multinational Security Support (MMS) force in violence-torn Haiti went up by 36.5%, now reaching 590 troops with 400 Kenyans, 8 Salvadorans, 6 Bahamians, 24 Jamaicans, and 2 Belizeans.

After these reinforcements, MMS Chief Godfrey Otunge of Kenya warned that “the year 2025 will not be easy for the gangs” controlling parts of Port-au-Prince and other key sectors in the Caribbean country.

During the welcoming ceremony for the Guatemalan contingent including 19 women, Otunge insisted that “we are ready, and we will continue to be ready.“

”The gangs will soon experience our full determination,” he went on as he promised that the reign of armed gangs would end this year. In a message to the outlaw groups, he said that they had two choices: surrender to the Police and turn over their weapons, or fight the MMS and meet their grandmothers' bones.

Otunge also underlined that the new arrivals would improve the MMS' ability to fight gangs while praising Guatemala for its support. He also highlighted the strengthening of the alliance with the Haitian Police and thanked the international community for its equipment and resources. In addition, he called on countries that have not yet deployed troops to do so as the mission needs more personnel, resources, and funding.

Regarding the presence of female soldiers, Otunge pointed out that “these women are highly trained soldiers who are ready to confront gangs directly and bring peace to Haiti.”

The MMS is an international police and military force approved by the United Nations Security Council in October 2023 to assist the government of Haiti in restoring law and order amid worsening civil strife and gang violence since 2018. Gang attacks forced over 700,000 residents to flee their homes last year, with thousands killed in the process.