By Vibhu Mishra
NEW YORK, USA – The UN Security Council on Tuesday authorized a new multinational Gang Suppression Force (GSF) in Haiti to replace the Kenyan-led security support mission, amid escalating gang violence, widespread rights abuses and a humanitarian emergency affecting all aspects of life in the island nation.
The resolution – co-penned by Panama and the United States, and backed by dozens of countries in the region and beyond – was adopted by a vote of 12 in favour, with three abstentions from China, Pakistan, and Russia.
Under an initial 12-month mandate, the GSF will work in close coordination with the Haitian National Police (HNP) and the Haitian armed forces to conduct intelligence-led operations to neutralise gangs, provide security for critical infrastructure, and support humanitarian access.
The 5,550-strong force will also protect vulnerable groups, support reintegration of former fighters and help strengthen Haitian institutions.
The Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission, authorised by the Security Council in October 2023, faced chronic underfunding, insufficient personnel, and limited operational capacity, making it difficult to contain gangs that now control large parts of the capital, Port-au-Prince.
While the MSS enabled the HNP to regain access to some areas and infrastructure, it struggled to match the scale of the crisis. Kenya, which led the MSS, also backed the new mechanism.
Haiti is facing nearly 1.3 million internally displaced people, rising kidnappings, widespread sexual violence, and gangs that control large areas of the capital.
Haiti is not alone
Introducing the text in the Council, ambassador Eloy Alfaro de Alba of Panama emphasised the urgency of international support.
“Since last year, this Council has requested the secretary-general to put forward recommendations to address the multidimensional crisis in Haiti … Haiti is facing an unprecedented, multi-dimensional crisis that requires our decisive attention,” he said.
He urged all Security Council members to support the initiative, stating that doing so would “send a clear message to Haiti – you are not on your own.”
UN support office in Haiti
The resolution also tasks the Secretary-General to establish a UN Support Office in Haiti (UNSOH) to provide logistical and operational support to the GSF, HNP and Haitian armed forces, including rations, medical care, transportation, strategic communications and troop rotation.
UNSOH will also support the Organization of American States’ SECURE-Haiti project and ensure compliance with international human rights standards.
A force against gangs
The United States, a sponsor of the resolution, highlighted the scale of the new mission.
Ambassador Mike Waltz said that the MSS mission lacked the scale, scope and resources needed to take the fight to the gangs and restore a baseline of security in Haiti.
“Today’s vote sets that right. With this vote to transform the MSS mission to the new Gang Suppression Force, a mission five times the size of its predecessor and with a strengthened mandate to go after the gangs,” he noted.
“The international community is sharing the burden and living up to its promise to help Haiti turn the tide. It offers Haiti the chance to assume responsibility for its own security.”
Haitian government ultimately responsible
The Council stressed that Haiti’s government retains “primary responsibility” for national security and governance reform, including tackling corruption, illegal arms flows and the recruitment of children by gangs.
The GSF is intended to support Haitian authorities while creating conditions for the country to gradually assume full security responsibility.
A decisive turning point
The decision to transform the MSS mission to the GSF marked “a decisive turning point” in one of the most serious challenges in Haiti’s already turbulent history, the country’s ambassador said after the vote.
While the Multinational Security Support mission has been “a valuable support and a strong signal of international solidarity”, Ambassador Pierre Ericq Pierre stressed: “But the reality on the ground has reminded us that the scale and sophistication of the threat far exceeds the mandate initially granted to this mission.”
As the Security Council granted a stronger, more offensive and more operational mandate, “it is giving the international community the means to respond to the gravity of the situation in Haiti,” he added.
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