In an interview on Monday, Kenyan police officer Godfrey Otunge provided insights into the progress and strategy of the ongoing peacekeeping mission in Haiti. Otunge who leads the mission is among the first officers deployed as Kenya prepares to send additional personnel to the Caribbean nation.
Otunge highlighted the commitment of the officers to restoring peace in Haiti by collaborating closely with Haitian authorities. “We have a job that we are committed to do. We intend to achieve this by working closely with Haitian authorities and local and international partners dedicated to a new Haiti,” he stated.
Emphasizing the gravity of their mission, Otunge stressed that there was no room for failure in dealing with the gangs that have overrun much of the country. Over the past 15 days, the team has focused on evaluating the situation and planning strategies to neutralize the gangs. However, for security and strategic reasons, Otunge declined to disclose further details about their methods.
“The job is to ensure the restoration of peace throughout Haiti. We must do this job to the best of our ability,” he reiterated.
Otunge’s remarks came on the heels of a significant development: the seizure of the General Hospital, Haiti’s largest public hospital, by the police. This facility had been under gang control, severely disrupting healthcare services. The new head of the Haiti National Police, Rameau Normil, announced that the hospital was secured on Sunday night, marking a critical step in the broader effort to restore health services.
This action is expected to provide much-needed relief to patients who had been forced to halt their treatments due to the gang-related destruction of multiple healthcare facilities in Port-au-Prince. The restoration of the General Hospital symbolizes a key victory in the mission’s objective to reestablish order and support the Haitian population’s health needs.
By Newsmedia