Haitians are also enjoying some reserved optimism after the UN Security Council passed a new 5,550-strong Gang Suppression Force (GSF) to deal with growing violence in the Caribbean country. The mandate will see the end of the smaller Kenyan-headed Multinational Security Support mission that has been facing difficulties in containing well-equipped gangs that rule 85% of Port-au-Prince.
The UN Security Council permits the deployment of huge armaments
A UN Security Council resolution introduced by the US provided the formation of the Gang Suppression Force, which has a 12-month mandate to cooperate with the Haitian National Police and armed forces. The new force will be carrying out intelligence-based operations to take down the gangs, defend the critical infrastructure, and regulate humanitarian access throughout the war-torn country.
According to the US ambassador Mike Waldz, the current mission was too small to have the resources to restore security, the vote would turn the MSS mission into the new Gang Suppression Force, a mission that was five times larger than the one that had come before. The resolution also introduces a UN Support Office in Haiti to offer logistical and operational assistance of rations, medical services, and transportation.
Past Kenyan-led missions experienced a systematic lack of funds
The Multinational Security Support mission was mandated in October 2023 and was not chronically, persistently underfunded and understaffed, as well as capacity-constrained, under the justification that it allowed Haitian National Police to reestablish control over some locations. Another example of support is the case of Kenya, which was the first to enable the mission with fewer than 1,000 officers, indicating the necessity of increased international assistance.
Gangs dominate huge geographical areas during a humanitarian crisis
About 85% of the Capital of Haiti, Port-au-Prince, is now controlled by armed gangs, which engage in the gross abuse of human rights, such as child labor, murder, and trafficking. The bloodshed has resulted in a huge humanitarian crisis with approximately 1.3 million human beings displaced internally, as a direct result of the war.
The insecure country is experiencing economic turmoil and political instability as the gangs aggressively extend their area of control all over the country. In 2024 alone, the severity of the security crisis that ordinary Haitians have to face is evidenced by more than 5,500 people who died in gang-related violence.
The co-author of the resolution, Ambassador Eloy Alfaro de Alba of Panama, made it clear that international support was badly needed, saying that adoption of the initiative would send a substantial signal to Haiti – You are not alone. The resolution was supported by dozens of countries both in the region and across the globe.
Haitians have hope despite their earlier disappointments
The UN representative of Haiti, Ericq Pierre, has termed the move as a breaking point in the struggle on the island to tackle one of the greatest challenges ever faced by this island in its already troubled past. The residents of the area, though also pessimistically optimistic, believe that the extended force will make it where the earlier interventions have failed. This new force will also facilitate the reintegration of former fighters and contribute to institutions strengthening of Haiti, which will deal with the root causes of the current crisis and not just the direct threat to security.
Although the past interventions by the international community have been ineffective, the fivefold growth of the personnel and the enforced mandate is an indicator of a new policy of restoring sanity. The key to success will be sufficient funding, long-term assistance by other countries, and close cooperation with the Haitian government to deal not only with the threat posed by immediate security but also with the structural flaws of the institutions to improve security.