First troops from UN-backed Gang Suppression Force arrive in Haiti

The force has an initial mandate of 12 months to address widespread gang violence in Haiti ahead of its elections.The first foreign troops from a new United Nations-backed force have arrived in Haiti in an effort to combat escalating levels of gang violence in the Caribbean country.On Wednesday, the Gang Suppression Force (GSF) announced on social media that an initial group from the African country of Chad had arrived. They were accompanied by Jack Christofides, a UN official from South Africa who is expected to helm the group’s efforts.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Haiti’s transitional council hands power to US-backed prime ministerlist 2 of 3Over 1,200 killed in Haiti drone strikes, including 60 civilians: Reportlist 3 of 3At least 70 killed, 30 wounded in Haiti gang attack, rights group saysend of list“Jack Christofides has arrived in Port-au-Prince as Special Representative of the Gang Suppression Force,” the statement said.“An advance team of Chadian forces also arrived, marking the first troop deployment of the expanded GSF.”No further details were provided about the deployment. The Gang Suppression Force is eventually expected to grow to 5,500 people, and it has an initial mandate of 12 months.It was authorised last September during a meeting of the UN-security-council" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="1865" data-entity-type="organization">UN Security Council, which envisioned the force as a replacement for a Kenyan-led multinational security mission.That mission, first deployed in 2023, has failed to bring Haiti’s gang violence under control, with officials citing a lack of funding, manpower and institutional support.The new Gang Suppression Force was first proposed by the United States and Panama as a tool to “neutralise, isolate, and deter” Haiti’s gangs.Unlike the smaller Kenyan-led mission, whose mandate was to support local police, the Gang Suppression Force will be empowered to make arrests in Haiti.Twelve members of the UN-security-council" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="1865" data-entity-type="organization">UN Security Council voted in favour of its implementation. While no votes were cast against it, China, Russia and Pakistan abstained from the vote.