Aerial view of houses destroyed by armed gangs in 2024 in the Solino neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on March 3, 2026.
AFP via Getty Images
The State of Qatar on Thursday announced a $30 million pledge to the newly established Gang Suppression Force, bolstering efforts to help Haiti regain control from powerful armed groups.
The donation will go into a trust fund the United Nations has established for the recently authorized force, which now has received a total of $203 million, said Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for United Nations Secretary General António Guterres.
The significant contribution came as the Dominican Republic and other countries called upon the international community to redouble its contributions, both to the Gang Suppression Force and to the trust fund supporting its operations. Although the deployment is underway, a significant gap persists between the personnel currently deployed and the authorized ceiling—a gap that constitutes the primary operational challenge at this stage, the Dominican Republic’s representative stressed Thursday during a U.N. Security Council meeting on Haiti.
The council, which authorized the U.S.-backed force in September, received an update on the force’s deployment as the international community’s assistance transitions from the Kenya-led Multinational Security mission to a broader coalition and more lethal and bigger force.
That new suppression force “is taking shape in a structured and deliberate manner,” the special representative overseeing the Gang Suppression Force, Jack Christofides, told the council.
“Pre-deployment and induction training are being prioritized to ensure that all incoming personnel are prepared to operate effectively in a complex and sensitive environment, and in full compliance with international standards,” he said.
Christofides declined to provide figures on troop deployment, which is expected to reach a strength of 5,500. But he said a deployment plan had been developed, focusing on priority areas and leveraging the specialized capabilities of contributing countries, with personnel now being readied.
In parallel, he said, civilian deployments are advancing and structures are being put in place to support intelligence-led mission planning, coordination and oversight. A finalized concept of operations now provides “a clear framework for how the mission will operate in practice, including integration with Haitian counterparts.”
“We remain acutely aware of the suffering endured by the Haitian people, particularly those living under gang control. There is an urgent need for concrete action to restore security and hope,” he said.
Christofides emphasized that the mission is not starting from scratch.
“But we are starting differently,” he said. “The GSF is being built as a disciplined, accountable and partnership-driven mission, designed to deliver targeted security results while upholding the highest standards of conduct and full respect for Haitian sovereignty.”
Thursday’s Security Council meeting, which was attended by Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, unfolded against a backdrop in which security forces have seen some security gains in downtown Port-au-Prince but as armed groups continue to expand and tighten their grip.
Security gains in parts of downtown Port-au-Prince, though difficult to sustain, demonstrate that change can be achieved. The recent holding of Council of Ministers meetings at the National Palace, after more than three years of limited State presence in the area, is not only symbolic. It is also a powerful signal of the State’s gradual return, according to Carlos Ruiz Massieu, the head of the U.N. Integrated Office in Port-au-Prince.
While this progress is real, Ruiz Massieu stressed that Haitians continue to live with the daily reality of insecurity and its tragic fallout.
“The recent massacre in Jean-Denis, in the Artibonite department, where dozens were killed on 28 and 29 March, and the attacks in Marigot, in the Southeast department, on 11 April, are tragic reminders that insecurity remains a daily reality for far too many Haitians,” he said. “This violence spreads fear, drives displacement, and continues to expand beyond Port-au-Prince as criminal gangs broaden their reach.”
At present nearly 1.5 million Haitians are internally displaced, mostly because of violence, and an estimated 6.4 million Haitians will require humanitarian assistance this year. “Behind these figures are communities under immense strain, where insecurity and humanitarian needs are increasingly intertwined,” Ruiz Massieu said. “Without tangible improvements on the security front, progress will be difficult to sustain.”
Christofides noted the high expectations for the Gang Suppression Force, which many view as a potential turning point. But he and others have stressed the measure of success needs to be a return to stability and security that has to allow Haitians to hold elections, which hasn’t taken place since 2016, and to reestablish state authority.
The objective is to degrade the operational capacity of gangs to a level that Haitian institutions can sustainably manage, creating the time and space for the state to reassert its authority.
“This is a focused and time-bound effort to support Haiti in addressing urgent security challenges. It will require sustained international support, disciplined implementation, and realistic expectations,” said Christofides. “The GSF is designed not as an end in itself, but as a means to enable Haitian institutions to regain control and to create the conditions for longer-term stability.”
Jacqueline Charles
Miami Herald
Jacqueline Charles has reported on Haiti and the English-speaking Caribbean for the Miami Herald for over a decade. A Pulitzer Prize finalist for her coverage of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, she was awarded a 2018 Maria Moors Cabot Prize — the most prestigious award for coverage of the Americas.
