UN OKs double-sized Haiti gang suppression force

The United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution to create a large multinational force to combat gangs in Haiti, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday. The 5,500-member Gang Suppression Force has a 12-month mandate, which the council may later opt to extend, according to the UN. The council also approved the establishment of a UN office in Haiti to provide logistical support to the force. The new force would have more than double the manpower of the last UN mission to Haiti, which never reached its goal of 2,500 troops.

The decision came after the United States, Panama, and Kenya advocated strongly for the resolution. Haiti also supported it. Gangs have overrun much of Haiti, causing severe instability and violence that intensified after the prime minister resigned in 2024. Armed groups currently control up to 90% of Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, and recently expanded into previously untouched regions of the country, according to the UN.

What about the previous UN-approved force in Haiti? The Multinational Security Support Mission, led by Kenya, wrested control of some critical infrastructure from gangs, including Haiti’s main airport and police headquarters. But that force never reached its intended deployment numbers and couldn’t hold all of the reclaimed territory. Its mandate expired on Thursday.

Dig deeper: Read my report on a UN meeting to discuss the Gang Suppression Force resolution.