The United Nations Security Council voted on Tuesday to extend the mandate of the Gang Suppression Force (GSF) in Haiti until March 31, 2027, as the country continues to grapple with persistent criminal violence. The resolution was adopted with China, Russia, and Pakistan abstaining due to concerns regarding the mission’s potential effectiveness.
Gang violence remains rampant in Haiti, with organized criminal networks exerting control over large portions of the capital, Port-au-Prince. The GSF was established to succeed the Multinational Security Support Mission, a Kenyan-led police deployment that concluded in April after struggling with staffing and funding shortages.
Mike Waltz, the US ambassador to the UN and a co-sponsor of the resolution, highlighted the mission’s expanded capabilities. Unlike previous efforts primarily focused on supporting the Haitian National Police, the GSF can coordinate with Haiti’s military or operate independently. “Seven missions have been dedicated to Haiti over the previous decades, and obviously to limited success,” Waltz said. “We’re trying to do something genuinely different.”
However, the force is currently operating at only 30 percent of its intended capacity. Approximately 1,500 troops are deployed, with an additional 4,000 expected to arrive in the coming months. Critics have pointed to historical abuses stemming from foreign interventions in Haiti and raised doubts about the mission’s ability to overcome the obstacles that have plagued prior efforts.
The urgency for security improvements is linked to Haiti’s political crisis. The Haitian government has argued that international assistance is essential to hold nationwide elections, which have been delayed for nearly a decade. The last democratically elected senators saw their terms expire in 2023, and a transitional presidential council formed in 2024 ended its mandate without completing electoral processes. The next election round is tentatively scheduled for December.
Since the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise, which created a leadership vacuum, criminal groups have expanded their influence, exploiting government instability and a legitimacy crisis. The UN reports that gang violence has displaced more than 1.5 million people. Between April and June alone, 1,408 killings and over 650 injuries were documented.
Tensions escalated immediately prior to the vote, as criminal groups killed at least 11 people and burned property in the Artibonite region. Local officials described the attack as retaliation for GSF forces killing three gang members the previous day.
Mike Waltz claims this is genuinely different. With no elections for nearly a decade, what exactly is being supported here?
The displacement numbers are terrifying. I just wonder if these troops will actually protect civilians or just fight among themselves.
How is it that Russia and China abstained again? Is the world finally waking up to these hollow mandates?
Another six months extension, yet they are only at 30 percent capacity. This feels like more of the same failed interventions.