UN Extends Gang Suppression Force Mandate in Haiti Amid Continuing Violence

Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime spoke during the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly on September 25. The United Nations Security Council has voted to extend the mandate of an international security task force deployed to Haiti to address escalating violence from gangs and other criminal groups. The council voted on Tuesday to extend the Gang Suppression Force (GSF) until March 31, 2027, while China, Russia and Pakistan abstained from the vote due to concerns over the measure’s effectiveness.

Gang violence remains persistently high in Haiti, with much of the capital, Port-au-Prince, under the control of organised criminal networks. Proponents of the task force highlighted its expanded mandate. While previous efforts focused primarily on supporting Haitian police, the GSF has the ability to coordinate with Haiti’s military or act independently.

“Seven missions have been dedicated to Haiti over the previous decades, and obviously to limited success,” said Mike Waltz, the United States ambassador to the UN who co-sponsored the resolution. “We’re trying to do something genuinely different.” Waltz noted that about 1,500 GSF troops are currently operating in Haiti, with the remaining 4,000 expected to arrive in the coming months.

However, the GSF has faced obstacles that have troubled similar past efforts, including personnel shortfalls and questions about funding. Critics have also voiced reservations about international intervention given the history of abuses in Haiti resulting from foreign involvement. The current task force is operating at approximately 30 percent of its intended size, following a Kenyan-led police deployment known as the Multinational Security Support Mission that was authorized to support Haiti’s National Police.

After staffing and funding challenges, that mission concluded in April, with its resources transitioning to the GSF. Haiti’s government first requested international security forces in 2022 and has maintained that further assistance is essential to hold nationwide elections. It has been nearly a decade since Haiti held national elections, as the terms of the last democratically elected senators expired in 2023. A transitional presidential council formed in 2024 saw its mandate expire before elections could take place, and national votes have been repeatedly delayed, with the next round tentatively set for December.

Criminal groups have strengthened in Haiti following the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in 2021, which created a leadership vacuum. Experts report that gangs have exploited this instability and the government's legitimacy crisis to expand their reach nationwide. This growth has triggered a wave of violence resulting in more than 1.5 million displaced people. Between April and June, the UN documented 1,408 killings and more than 650 injuries related to gang violence. Tuesday’s vote took place a day after criminal groups killed at least 11 people and burned homes and buildings in the Artibonite region, in what a mayor described as retaliation for the killing of three gang members by GSF forces.