By Clarens Siffroy
TWO months have passed since the arrival of 400 Kenyan police officers in Haiti, as part of a Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission approved by the UN to help restore security.
But Haitians have seen little improvement in their daily life, and gangs continue to control large swathes of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and of the neighbouring Ouest and Artibonite departments.
Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes and live in precarious conditions in displacement camps.
A recent Mercy Corps report shows that displacement in Haiti is very likely to rise as conflict escalates between police, international troops, and gangs, further complicating humanitarian access to those in need.
Largely financed by the United States, it is hoped that the MSS could one day number up to 2,500 police and security personnel from several countries, but so far the small Kenyan contingent currently deployed says it lacks the firepower and equipment to efficiently fight the gangs.
A trust fund was set up by the UN to receive donations from country members of the UN Security Council, but funds have been slow to arrive. Both the Kenyan police officers deployed and their families have reported delays in the payments promised to them.
Haitian photographer Clarens Siffroy has covered Haiti’s crisis for months.
In this video, which includes photos of his reporting trips to gang-controlled areas of downtown Port-au-Prince as well as a displacement camp called Rex Théâtre, he tells us what life is like for Haitians today.
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