Haiti urges UN to renew anti-gang force mandate before December elections

Haiti's foreign minister has called on the United Nations Security Council to renew the mandate of the Gang Suppression Force before it expires on 30 September. Raina Forbin said the force needs to be fully deployed in Haiti with international support as the country prepares for elections scheduled for December. Her appeal came during a meeting of the Organisation of American States focused on Haiti's continuing gang violence.

Sponsored

Forbin said Haiti needs technical, financial, logistical and security support that can meet the scale of the crisis. She said the country must move from solidarity to action, underscoring the urgency of the request ahead of the mandate deadline. The current mandate is due to lapse unless the Security Council agrees to extend it.

The foreign minister's remarks were framed as a direct appeal for continued international backing at a time of heightened insecurity. The security situation remains severe. According to figures cited in the source material, 1,408 people were killed in Haiti between April and June this year, and 656 were injured, with much of the violence attributed to gangs.

Armed groups have expanded their control over large parts of Port-au-Prince, while more than one million people have been displaced. Authorities have struggled to contain the violence and address the deeper problems of poverty and corruption that have contributed to the crisis. The appeal matters because the country is trying to organise its first general elections in a decade while facing persistent armed-group activity.

Sponsored

Officials have set 13 December as the current election date, but there are doubts over whether voting can proceed safely. Critics fear violence could disrupt the process and weaken confidence in the result. The planned vote is therefore tied not only to political transition, but also to the state's ability to provide basic security and administrative capacity.

Haiti's instability has deepened since the assassination of former President Jovenel Moise in 2021. Since then, armed groups have flourished in the power vacuum and have become a central force in the capital and beyond. The international mission was created to help counter that threat, but its effectiveness now depends on whether it is renewed and fully deployed before the end of the month.

Regional officials have also signalled that election support will be needed alongside security assistance. What remains unclear is whether the Security Council will act before the 30 September deadline and how quickly any renewed force could be deployed. It is also uncertain whether the December election timetable can be maintained if violence continues at current levels.

#Haiti #GangSuppressionForce #UnitedNationsSecurityCouncil #OrganisationofAmericanStates #elections

Sponsored