P-au-P, August 15, 2024 [AlterPresse] — Gang leaders in Haiti “will have nowhere to hide when large-scale operations begin in the near future,” the commander of the Multinational Security Support Mission (MMAS) in Haiti, Godfrey Otunge, according to information gathered by the online agency AlterPresse.
Otunge made this statement during a meeting on Monday, August 12, 2024, with the special representative of the Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS) in Haiti, Cristobal Dupouy.
Otunge commended the efforts of the OAS in addressing some of the challenges faced by the MMAS during its pre-deployment in Haiti.
The OEA reiterated its commitment to provide unconditional and constant support to the MMAS for its success in Haiti.
Otunge stressed the need for helicopters for the force, during a meeting, on Tuesday, August 13, 2024, in Petionville, with a delegation of the Group of Eminent Personalities (GEP) of the Caribbean Community (Caricom), on an assessment visit to the country, from Saturday, August 10 to Friday, August 16, 2024.
Led by Kenny Anthony, the GEP coordinator and former Prime Minister of Saint Lucia, and Bruce Golding, former Prime Minister of Jamaica, the Caricom delegation said it deplored the slow delivery of essential equipment and vehicles to Haiti.
She also promised to catalyse the deployment of police officers from other contributing countries, particularly those from Caricom.
Armed gangs still at work, despite the presence of MMAS
Despite the presence of the MMAS in Haiti, with a view to helping the Haitian National Police (PNH) to fight armed gangs, acts of crime continue to increase in the country, particularly in the metropolitan area of the capital, Port-au-Prince.
Around ten people were murdered and another injured by gunfire in the communes of Cabaret and Arcahaie. (more than 40 km on national road No. 1, north of Port-au-Prince), in a new attack perpetrated by armed gangs, on the afternoon of Tuesday, August 6, 2024, informed the AlterPresse/AlterRadio platform the interim executive agent of Arcahaïe, Jean Edner Gilles.
Bandits from Canaan killed nine (9) people and set fire to five (5) houses in Cabaret.
Despite the attempted resistance of PNH agents with the support of the population, one (1) other person was shot and killed and another was injured in Arcahaie by these criminal gangs.
In recent days, the neighborhoods of Solino and Delmas 24 continue to suffer new violent attacks by armed bandits.
On Tuesday, August 13, 2024, armed gangs demolished the police station in Cabaret, which they had already partially burned down.
Powerlessness of the PNH
The police station in Cabaret had been under the control of armed gangs for more than 5 months (since the beginning of March 2024), the police institution recalls in a note.
The police are engaged in operations aimed at recovering all areas occupied by armed men, including the commune of Cabaret, the national police promises again.
The PNH reports having deployed several agents from the Departmental Intervention Operation Brigade (Boid) in the Arcahaie district, still under threat from armed gangs. [emb rc apr 15/08/2024 13:45]
Photo: Mmas X Account
