Kenya, U.S. lead push for larger antigang force in Haiti

Dubbed the Gang Suppression Force, the desired unit would include some 5,500 troops, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said Monday. He called on United Nations members to support the formation of the large multinational police force in Haiti, where powerful gangs grew even stronger after the prime minister resigned in March 2024. During a meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, he also asked the UN to establish an office in Haiti to provide logistical support to such a force.

The United States and Panama introduced a resolution to create the Gang Suppression Force with Haiti’s support. The plan had considerable UN Security Council support—but might not have enough votes for approval, Landau said. The plan also needed committed funding, he said. Landau also announced sanctions against two former Haitian politicians for corruption while in office.

What about the existing UN-approved security force in Haiti? An antigang force led by Kenya, the Multinational Security Support Mission, already wrested some key areas back from gangs in the last year. The force reclaimed Haiti’s main airport, seaports, and police headquarters, and rescued the presidential palace from siege, Kenyan President William Ruto said at the meeting. But the force only reached half of its intended deployment numbers, and it lacked the resources to adequately defend reclaimed areas, he said. The United States provided logistics support and vehicles, but many were secondhand and broke down, Ruto said. He reminded attendees that the UN mandate creating the force would expire Oct. 2.

What did others say at the meeting? Laurent Saint-Cyr, president of the transitional presidential council of Haiti, said the country needed a larger security force. Gangs still held too much territory, hindering Haiti from holding elections and completing a peaceful transition of power, he said.

Spain, China, the United Kingdom, and Haiti’s nearest neighbor, the Dominican Republic, were among the members who spoke in support of the Gang Suppression Force initiative at the meeting.

Dig deeper: Read Lauren Canterberry’s report on news of increasing instability in Haiti.