PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Three Haitian policemen and an informant were killed and a fourth officer is missing in the country’s central region, where gang violence has surged, Haiti's National Police said Wednesday.
The officers were members of a specialized unit known as UDMO, which is largely activated during protests and disturbances.
A video shared on social media show gunmen dragging the bodies of at least two officers near a burning armored vehicle as heavy gunfire fills the air.
Haiti's National Police said in a statement that authorities would intensify operations against armed gangs in Artibonite as it mourned the officers' deaths.
SPNH-17, a local police union, called on the government to better protect police as it warned they were preparing to revolt.
“The government does not give the police any importance. If they took this seriously, they would have made the means and support available to the police and the military to end the insecurity,” the union said. “Too many police officers have fallen.”
Haiti’s transitional presidential council said that the government was mobilizing all necessary resources to investigate the killings and honor the memory of those slain.
From October 2024 until the end of June, more than 1,000 people were killed, 213 injured and 620 kidnapped in Haiti’s Artibonite and Central departments, according to the U.N. human rights office.
A Kenyan-led, U.N.-backed mission is helping Haiti’s National Police to quell gang violence, but officers often are overwhelmed by powerful gangs with military-grade weapons. At least two Kenyan officers have been killed this year, both in Artibonite.
FILE - Haitian and Kenyan police who are part of a UN-backed multinational force stand at a police station in Pont-Sonde, Haiti, Oct. 7, 2024, days after a gang attacked the town. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph, File)
KOHALA, Hawai‘i--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 15, 2026--
Kuleana Rum Works, the Hawai‘i-based distillery known for its additive-free, award-winning rums, today announced the release of “An Open Letter on Additive-Free Rum,” written by Founder & CEO Steve Jefferson, addressing why rum is now facing the same scrutiny and market shift that reshaped tequila a decade ago.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260107792953/en/
Consumers across spirits are demanding more honesty about how products are made. Additive-free labeling has already transformed tequila and is reshaping whiskey and RTDs. Drinkers now expect producers to protect natural flavor instead of masking it, and bartenders increasingly use transparency as a measure of quality. The letter positions rum as the next category entering this accountability cycle, as more consumers begin to question undisclosed sweeteners, flavorings and added color.
Tequila provides the clearest precedent. Producers who embraced additive-free methods helped premiumize the category, while brands relying on undisclosed additives now face growing skepticism. According to the letter, rum is approaching the same turning point. Jefferson explains that Kuleana Rum Works was founded on additive-free principles: growing heirloom Hawaiian kō (sugarcane), fermenting and distilling fresh juice at lower proof to preserve natural character, adding nothing after distillation and holding all blending partners to the same standards. Every rum — whether distilled in Hawai‘i or sourced — is verified additive-free through independent lab testing and supplier documentation.
“Consumer expectations are changing fast across spirits,” said Steve Jefferson, Founder and CEO of Kuleana Rum Works. “People want honesty in what they drink, and they’re rewarding producers who protect natural flavor rather than covering it up. Additive-free isn’t a trend — it’s becoming the standard, and rum is now facing that shift head-on.”
Additional detail in the letter underscores how production choices such as fresh juice fermentation, low-proof distillation and a strict no-additives policy create transparency and flavor integrity that align with what the market is valuing.
About Kuleana Rum Works
Founded on the island of Hawai‘i in 2013, Kuleana Rum Works crafts award-winning, additive-free rums — led by its signature Hawaiian Rum Agricole® — from fresh kō (heirloom Hawaiian sugarcane) grown on its regenerative Kohala farm. Now available in 17 states and Japan, Kuleana Rum Works champions excellence, transparency and community stewardship. Visit kuleanarum.com to learn more.
https://kuleanarum.com/additive-free/
