Haiti’s fragile political transition is facing its first major challenge as gangs tighten their grip on the capital, Port-au-Prince. A Kenyan delegation has met with the newly elected head of Haiti’s transitional presidential council, Laurent Saint-Cyr, to review security operations led by Kenyan police officers under the UN-backed Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS).
The delegation, led by Deputy National Security Adviser Joseph Boinnet and Kenya’s Consul General to Haiti Noor Gabow, was joined by MSS commander Godfrey Otunge. Talks focused on progress in stabilizing the country, where armed gangs control about 90% of neighborhoods in the capital.
Saint-Cyr, elected on August 7, expressed satisfaction with the MSS’s work, noting the 800 Kenyan police officers deployed since June 25, 2024, have been conducting 24-hour patrols and safeguarding key infrastructure. The mission aims to prevent armed groups from destabilizing the country further. The UN Security Council is set to review and potentially renew the MSS mandate next month in New York, with plans to deploy more Kenyan personnel.
Saint-Cyr, who began his career in the insurance industry, now heads the transitional council alongside Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, a former tech industry leader and ex-president of Haiti’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Their leadership marks a rare instance where members of Haiti’s private sector hold both top government positions.
The urgency of their task was underscored this week when US prosecutors charged notorious gang leader Jimmy “Barbecue” Cherizier, a former police officer who commands the powerful Viv Ansanm alliance. Cherizier, along with US citizen Bazile Richardson, allegedly raised funds from the Haitian diaspora in the US to finance gang activities and purchase firearms in violation of US sanctions.
Cherizier faces accusations of orchestrating multiple murders, kidnappings, and attacks on infrastructure. The US is offering a $5 million reward for information leading to his arrest.
For Haiti’s transitional leadership, the immediate priority is restoring order and reclaiming neighborhoods from gang control a mission in which Kenya’s security forces have become a central pillar of international support.
