Specialized members of Haiti’s National Police together with members of the Kenyan-led multinational security mission to Haiti over the weekend launched a major security operation to crack down on pre-Carnival activities organized by 400 Mawozo, one of the nation’s largest gangs.
Voice of America (VOA) reported on Sunday that the security operation, which began on Saturday, took place in Croix-des-Bouquets, a commune in Haiti’s western Department of Ouest also known by its Haitian creole name, Kwadèboukè.
The security operation, VOA stated, came after several videos circulating on social media showed the Carnival activities led by the 400 Mawozo gang and its leader Lanmó San Jou. The joint Haitian-international security forces led a “non-stop” operation to regain control of the western commune and destroy the gang’s bases of operation.
“During this operation, the command forces exchanged gunfire with the gangs who set up several barricades to prevent the police from entering the city center,” the report read. “With the support of the multinational mission, the forces of order managed to break the barricades and enter the fiefdom of the 400 Mawozo gang.”
In addition to breaking down stands placed for the gang’s Carnival activities, authorities seized a power generator that the gang was using to light up the activities. According to VOA, Haiti’s national police did not inform whether arrests were made or if any gang members died during the operation.
The outlet Haiti Libre reported on Tuesday that the weekend security operation continued in the nearby commune of Tabarre on Sunday, leading to the arrest of several members of the Krazé barrière gang. Security forces reportedly seized 15 handguns and 12 communication radios from the gang’s base.
In 2024, the Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) led by Kenya was deployed in Haiti to help the nation’s barely functional government restore order amid the dramatic escalation of gang violence in the Caribbean nation. The roughly 800-member international security operation, originally authorized by the United Nations Security Council in 2023, recently received reinforcements, with a new contingent of 144 Kenyan officers and a group of 70 Salvadoran and Guatemalan police officers arriving in early February, including eight Salvadoran officials specialized in air support.
Kenya’s The Star newspaper reported on Tuesday that the United States provided the multinational security mission with a donation of 600 unspecified firearms, nine pickups, two trucks, two excavators, two armored loaders, and “tens of bullets” on Monday. Officials from the security mission said that the U.S. donation will boost the ongoing operation against the gangs on the ground in general.
The U.S. donation comes shortly after the United States reportedly granted an exception to Haiti’s security mission amid President Donald Trump’s freeze on foreign financial aid.
“This donation underscores the United States’ continued commitment to supporting both the Haiti National Police (HNP) and MSS, enhancing their operational capacity to combat gangs and restore peace in Haiti,” MSS Commander Godfrey Otunge reportedly said.
According to The Star, the security mission has received strengthened air support from El Salvador after a Ukrainian cargo plane arrived from the Central American nation carrying three helicopters designated for medical and casualty evacuations. The security mission reportedly bolstered its maritime capabilities through contributions made by the Bahamas and its land operations “have been enhanced with equipment provided by donor nations.”
Christian K. Caruzo is a Venezuelan writer and documents life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here.
