Haitian police officers on Monday demanded better protection and treatment a day after gunmen killed a Kenyan policeman who was part of a U.N.-backed mission tasked with fighting gangs in the troubled Caribbean country.

A Kenyan police officer who was on patrol with the international security force in Haiti has been killed in a confrontation with gang members. The officer, 26-year-old Police Constable Samuel Kitwai, is the first casualty suffered by the Kenyan-led Multinational Security Support mission (MSS).

The multinational security support mission in Haiti suffered its first casualty Sunday, after a Kenyan police officer died from injuries he sustained during an anti-gang operation north of the capital,

In a statement issued on Monday, U.S. Chargé d'Affaires to Kenya, Marc Dillard, expressed deep condolences to the officer's family and praised the bravery of Kenyan forces contributing to global security efforts.

Kenyan authorities say one of their officers sent to Haiti to help rein in violent gangs was killed in an operation in the countryside

A Kenyan police officer died Sunday during a shootout with armed gangs in the Savien region of Haiti. The officer was evacuated by plane to a hospital for treatment after sustaining injuries in the gun battle but later died.