Port-au-Prince.- The Government of Haiti welcomed this Tuesday the decision by the United Nations Security Council to extend, until March 31, 2027, the mandate of the Gang Suppression Force (GSF), which is facing difficulties in completing its deployment and confronting the expansion of armed gangs.
“This decision represents an important step forward in continuing efforts to restore security in Haiti,” the Presidency stated in a press release.
The decision comes after the visit of Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé to the UN General Assembly, where he “firmly advocated for the renewal of the Force’s mandate and for the acceleration of its operational deployment,” the institution noted.
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On his trip to the United Nations, Fils-Aimé also argued that international support “must complement,” and “not replace” the strengthening of Haiti’s own capabilities.
In that sense, the Presidency indicated that recently more than 2,000 police officers completed their training and 1,500 new soldiers joined the Armed Forces, which must reach a staff of 15,000 soldiers in the next three years.
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“The Government considers this decision by the Security Council to be a concrete result of the diplomatic initiative undertaken by the Prime Minister and reaffirms its determination to continue strengthening national institutions, so that Haiti can, in the long term, fully guarantee its own security and exercise its sovereignty throughout its territory,” it stressed.
“The fight for security continues. The Haitian State is determined to win it,” he stressed.
The UN Security Council renewed the GSF mandate in Haiti for six months this Tuesday.
The text extends the authorization of this force, created a year ago to replace the Multinational Security Support (MSS) Mission, and maintains the logistical and operational support of the United Nations through the UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH).
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During the Security Council session, the U.S. Ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, defended the renewal and highlighted that the GSF already has more than 1,500 troops on the ground and that another 4,000 are planned for the coming months.
Haiti is experiencing a crisis in every aspect, marked especially by insecurity at the hands of gangs, which control most of the capital, with constant attacks and kidnappings that have forced thousands of people to be displaced.
According to the UN, violence in this country caused at least 3,050 deaths and 1,401 injuries in the first half of the year.
