UN considers bigger security force as gangs extend grip on Haiti

30/8/2025 12:30

The United Nations Security Council began talks on Friday on a draft resolution for Haiti to bolster and expand a struggling international force fighting armed gangs, but some Haitian security experts warned the proposals lacked clarity.



Armed gangs have taken control of almost all Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince in an extended conflict that has forced some 1.3 million people from their homes, killed thousands and fueled famine-level hunger.



The draft resolution, put forward by the United States and Panama, aims to transition the existing Multinational Security Support mission, which is both underfunded and undermanned, into a new force called the Gang Suppression Force.



Like the current mission, which is led by Kenyan police, the anti-gang force would be funded through voluntary international contributions.



However, the leadership structure would be different. The new mission would be led by a Standing Group of representatives from countries that have so far contributed personnel, plus the United States and Canada, and be supported by a new U.N. field office to be set up in Port-au-Prince. A new force commander would be appointed by the Standing Group.