UN confirms full support in place for 5,500-member anti-gang force in Haiti

The United Nations Support Office in Haiti (UNSOH) on Wednesday announced that it has met the required timeline to provide the Gang Suppression Force (GSF) with full logistical and operational support, in accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 2793.

Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for Secretary-General António Guterres, said the mandated timeline of February 1, 2026, to assume full responsibility for providing the standard range of mission support services to the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti has also been met.

“Our Under-Secretary-General for Operational Support, Atul Khare, travelled to the Dominican Republic and Haiti this week to mark this successful achievement. Yesterday, Khare and Daniela Kroslak, head of the UN Support Office in Haiti, met with the Prime Minister of Haiti, Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, and also with Foreign Minister Raina Forbin,” Dujarric told the daily UN briefing.

He said both Prime Minister Fils-Aimé and Forbin confirmed their intention to continue working closely in partnership with the UN Support Office in Haiti throughout the design and construction phases.

Dujarric said the UN Support Office in Haiti is now prepared to provide living and office accommodations, medical support and other key services to the GSF. He also noted that the Support Office has deployed two helicopters to provide mobility between Port-au-Prince and Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic.

Additionally, a small office has been established in Santo Domingo to provide back-office support to both UN entities operating in Haiti.

The 5,500-member Gang Suppression Force is scheduled to arrive in April to combat escalating gang violence in Haiti. The mission will replace the Kenya-led Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti (MSS) and aims to neutralise gangs, protect critical infrastructure, and support the Haitian National Police.

Unlike previous missions, the GSF will work in close coordination with both the Haitian National Police and the Armed Forces of Haiti. The initiative is widely viewed as a critical effort to curb gang influence that has severely disrupted daily life in the French-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) nation.