Kenyan police unit comes under fire in Port-au-Prince

A specialised police unit in Port-au-Prince came under attack on Monday as it patrolled the streets of the Haitian capital.

Officers returned fire after suspected gang members threw molotov cocktails at the armoured car. The vehicle quickly filled with smoke as its roof set alight.

Police sped away from the area and volunteers helped put out the fire.

“We must help the police. The population must get involved," said local resident Etienne Yvenner. "Today, the bandits are against us, against the people. If they were not against us, they would not burn our houses, they would not burn the homes in Solino, they would not burn our home in Delmas.”

Gangs now control about 90 percent of Port-au-Prince.

Kenyan police arrived in Haiti two-years ago to lead a United Nations-backed mission to retake the capital. But the operation is understaffed and underfunded.

In September, the UN approved a gang suppression force that it hopes will grant the force power to arrest suspected gang members.

Haiti also expects to hold general elections this year for the first time in a decade.

Almost 1.5 million people have been displaced by the ongoing violence and hunger and poverty are deepening across the Caribbean island.