Kenyan police in Haiti and their local ones engaged gangs in a gun drama as Prime Minister Garry Conille visited a hospital on Monday in Port-au-Prince.
The incident happened Monday July 29 as the PM with the Director General of Haitian National Police Normil Rameau and the head of Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission Godfrey Otunge visited the General Hospital premises for assessment, officials said.
Both Otunge and Rameau said no injury was reported but there were gunshots fired by both the security and gangs in and around the hospital.
“Later the HNP and the MSS contingent followed up where the shots had been fired from the neighborhood and pacified the area.”
“The hospital is still under the control of HNP and the MSS contingent. No fatalities or injuries from HNP and MSS were recorded during the successful event,” the police commanders said in a joint statement.
They said they had visited the hospital and the PM was accompanied by CNN for coverage where towards the end of his interview, two shots were heard from the nearby neighborhood.
They added after the PM had successfully completed the interview, he left the hospital with his security detail but while at one of the corners at the hospital, some security officers fired some shots to provide cover for the PM exit.
“The PM together with his team left the hospital safely and was escorted back to his office.”
They added following the incident, the DG has initiated investigations to establish the cause.
Kenyan police are in Haiti to help the local officials stabilize from gangs that had almost overrun the capital.
This is the latest drama to be recorded in the area as the officials fight to take control of various premises from the gangs.
The officials have so far taken control of the main port in Port-au-Prince, major highway and the hospital.
Conille had on July 17 declared a state of emergency in 14 gang-controlled municipalities.
At the port, the gangs prevented food, medical and other supplies, including humanitarian aid, from entering the troubled Caribbean nation.
The port was one of the remaining entry points into Haiti used by the United Nations to deliver humanitarian aid to the people, most of whom are unable to fend for themselves.
A similar gun clash had two weeks ago happened as they travelled from Toussaint Louverture International Airport to the Autorite Portuaire Nationale port.
The team is supposed to among others man the port, the main airport, the presidential palace, the main hospitals and main highways.
The hospital had been closed since March when gangs took control of the area.
Otunge said MSS in partnership with HNP continues to conduct their daily operations in efforts to stabilize Haiti while striving to reclaim critical facilities currently under the gangs.
The Kenyan team has been receiving delegations from various foreign countries as part of their support.
They have also trained the local police officers on various combat operations.
Apart from Kenya, other countries that have pledged to send officers to Haiti include Benin, Jamaica, the Bahamas, Belize, Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, Bangladesh, Algeria, Canada and France.