Overview:
The Haitian National Police received three tracked armored vehicles on Thursday, donated by South Korea, marking the force’s first acquisition of such equipment. The delivery strengthens police protection and mobility as operations against armed gangs intensify and nearly 900 newly graduated officers deploy nationwide.
PORT-AU-PRINCE — The Haitian National Police received Thursday three tracked armored vehicles donated by South Korea. This delivery provides officers with new, battlefield-level protection as anti-gang operations expand and hundreds of newly trained recruits deploy across the country.
The vehicles arrived by ship at the Port-au-Prince port, according to images released by police and port officials, with senior commanders present during the customs transfer.
In a statement Feb. 5, the police said the donation is part of bilateral cooperation between the Haitian and South Korean governments.
“These tracked armored vehicles, received from South Korea as part of its cooperation with the Haitian government, will be used in the fight against terrorist gangs,” the police’s General Directorate said.
The equipment significantly enhances the police’s tactical mobility and protection in high-risk areas. Until now, the PNH relied mostly on lightly armored vehicles, limiting how far officers could safely advance in fortified neighborhoods.
Police identified the vehicles as armored personnel carriers (APCs), not heavy battle tanks, designed to transport officers safely during urban operations and protect them from gunfire and explosives. Images released by the police show tracked vehicles with reinforced armor and mounted turrets capable of supporting light weapons.
The security reinforcement coincides with the deployment of officers from the recently graduated 35th class of the police academy. On Feb. 4, Police Director General Vladimir Paraison announced that 877 new officers, trained under the P4000 program, are now operational.
“Ready to take the field, they will contribute to restoring security and peace across the country,” Paraison said after meeting with top graduates of the class.
He urged officers to act responsibly. “Your most powerful weapon is your mind,” Paraison said, warning against abuses of power.
The decision to deploy new officers and reinforced equipment followed a Jan. 31 meeting of the police high command focused on strengthening security nationwide— starting this month. Authorities said officers and armored vehicles will be sent to several regions, including Artibonite, the North, the Centre, Nippes and the Southeast departments.
Since the start of the year, police have carried out repeated operations in gang-controlled neighborhoods across the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area, such as Bel Air, Delmas 2 and 4, Avenue Magloire Ambroise, Rue Chavanne and Croix-des-Bouquets. Police say that several gang members were killed during those raids and that officers seized firearms and ammunition.
The reinforcement also comes amid a tense political climate, as Haiti approaches Feb. 7, the scheduled end of the Transitional Presidential Council’s mandate. While the United States has expressed support for Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé to lead the next phase of the transition, Haitian political actors remain divided, and efforts at dialogue — including CARICOM-led talks — have yet to yield consensus.
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