New international 'Gang Suppression Force' for Haiti
The UN Security Council on Oct. 1 approved a resolution transforming the Kenya-led Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission—whose mandate ended the following day—into a Gang Suppression Force (GSF). Sponsored by the United States and Panama, the new force is set to include up to 5,500 military and police officers, and 50 civilians; the old MSS force was supposed to be 2,000-strong but mustered fewer than 1,000, mostly from Kenya. It's not clear which countries the personnel for the GSF will come from, but it will also have "a broader mandate" than the MSS, which was restricted to supporting the Haitian National Police (PNH). The initial 12-month mandate includes "intelligence-led targeted counter-gang operations to neutralize, isolate and deter gangs" and "provid[ing] security for critical infrastructure sites and transit locations," as well as supporting the PNH, the Haitian armed forces, and national institutions to ensure the security conditions needed to hold elections and allow access to humanitarian aid. Additionally, a UN Support Office will be established to provide logistical and operational support to the GSF.
The news was welcomed by transitional Haitian President Laurent Saint-Cyr, the Organization of American States, and the regional CARICOM bloc. However, other than a US State Department press release stating that the GSF will be "an international burden-sharing model with the sufficient resources needed to fight the gangs," little is known about its composition and funding.
From The New Humanitarian, Oct. 3
Haiti's uncertain election plan
Haiti's Transitional Presidential Council, or CPT, has approved an electoral decree that paves the way for the country's first general elections in almost 10 years to be held in August 2026. While a section of Haiti's political class has welcomed the electoral decree as an important step forward towards stability, others fear the worsening security crisis and the lack of political consensus make the plan unrealistic. The continuity of power after the CPT's mandate ends in February 2026 is also uncertain: It's unclear whether its mandate will be extended or a new transitional process will be put in place. (TNH)
Gang Suppression Force in deadly battle in Port-au-Prince
Violent confrontations between the Haitian National Police (PNH) and armed groups in the central Bel-Air neighborhood of Port-au-Prince forced Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) to suspend their activities in the area. According to a report by AlterPresse, between Jan. 1 and 11, 116 people—52 of them civilians—lost their lives during operations led downtown by the PNH, the Gang Suppression Force, the Haitian Army and a government task force operating drones. (TNH)
Drone strikes put Haiti civilians at risk
Haitian security forces, partnered with US-based private contractors, conducted a series of drone strikes over the last year in densely populated urban areas to target members of criminal groups, but consequently killing and injuring civilians, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said March 10.
Reports attribute the strikes to a task force controlled by Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé. The international community has not received any information on the mandate or composition of the task force, but it is believed to be assisted by Vectus Global, an international "problem solving" company owned by businessman Erik Prince.
The US ambassador to Haiti confirmed that the Haitian government signed a contract with Vectus to supply quadcopter drones and "experienced fighters" to combat gang activity in the country. Vectus has been issued a license by the US State Department to conduct these operations.
HRW claimed Haitian forces, along with Vectus, use drone strikes to commit extrajudicial killings, a form of violence banned by several international legal instruments, including customary international law and the International Covenant on Civil & Political Rights.
Using the quadcopter drones armed with explosives, 141 strikes killed at least 1,243 people between March 1, 2025, and Jan. 21, 2026. Attacks come amid a worsening political and humanitarian situation in Haiti, with gangs reportedly expanding their control through sexual violence and kidnapping following a siege of the capital, Port-au-Prince, in early 2024. While the forces claim to target gang violence, drone strikes are reportedly responsible for the deaths of civilians, including women and children.
In attempts to address the violence, the UN Security Council last year approved a "Gang Suppression Force" to assist the Haitian government. The force is mandated to assist the operations of the Haitian National Police and Haitian armed forces "in strict compliance with international law, including international human rights law."
However, HRW called on the international force to "refrain from providing any operational support to the Haitian security forces until adequate safeguards are put in place to prevent unlawful killings, and should require transparency and accountability from Haitian authorities as a condition of any such cooperation." (Jurist)