Members of gang suppression force to begin arriving in Haiti in April

The first contingents of the United Nations Securuty approved Gang Suppression Force (GSF) for Haiti are expected to arrive on the French-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country in April, as part of international efforts to help restore security and stability.

GSF Special Representative Jack Christofides, made the disclosure following a meeting here with the Dominican Republic Foreign Minister, Roberto Álvarez.

Christofides thanked the Dominican Republic for its cooperation and announced plans to visit Santo Domingo once he formally assumes his post in Haiti in February.

Christofides, who currently holds a senior post in the UN’s peace operations, was named by the group of countries, Known as the Standing Group of Partners and include the United States, Canada, El Salvador, Guatemala, Jamaica, The Bahamas and Kenya, said the deployment is expected to be completed by October 2026.

According to Christofides, funding for the mission has been approved for a period of one year.

Álvarez also met with Carlos Ruiz Massieu, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), emphasising the importance of renewing BINUH’s mandate, which expires on January 31, this year.

Álvarez reaffirmed his country’s commitment to continue collaborating on medical evacuations of GSF members and providing logistical support from Dominican territory.

The GSF’s mission is to restore state authority and public order, reduce gang territorial control, secure critical infrastructure, and support the Haitian people as they work toward a return to elected governance and long-term stability.

Last September, the UN Security Council authorised the deployment of the new international force to replace the struggling Kenya-led Multinational Security Support  (MSS) mission, to restore state authority and public order, reduce gang territorial control, secure critical infrastructure, and support the Haitian people as they work toward a return to elected governance and long-term stability.

Meanwhile, over the last weekend, embattled Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, accompanied by the President pro tempore and Coordinator of the Transitional Council (CPT),Laurent Saint Cyr, attended the graduation ceremony for Haitian National Police (PNH) comprising 877 new police officers, including 156 women.

In his address, Prime Ministers Fils-Aimé, who also heads the Superior Council of the National Police (CSPN), reiterated that Project P4000, which aims to train 4,000 new police officers between 2026 and early 2027, represents a strategic response to the national security emergency.

Fils-Aimé reaffirmed the determination of the CPT and the government to sustainably restore State authority, strengthen the operational capabilities of the PNH and regain control of territories occupied by criminal and terrorist gangs due to insecurity.

“This programme is a national strategy for regaining, stabilizing, and consolidating State authority. The State is no longer backing down. It is fully assuming its mission,”  Fils-Aimé, expressing the Haitian government’s gratitude to its international partners, particularly the United States, Canada, and the European Union, for their unwavering support in restoring security, revitalizing the economy, and organizing general elections throughout the country.

President Saint Cyr urged the national security forces to remain fully focused on restoring security, despite attempts to undermine the national momentum of retaking the territory.

“I pledge that decisions made at the highest levels of government will always be aligned with the fundamental aspiration of the people : the restoration of security. We stand with the interests of the majority. The majority is not two, three, or five people. The majority is the people. And the interests of the majority are security.”

He also urged the security forces to remain fully mobilised against any attempt at destabilisation, reiterating that security is essential for national stability, the organization of credible elections, and the return to normal life for the population. (CMC)

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