Haitian government calls for renewal of international anti-gang task force

By Al Jazeera Staff and Reuters. Published On 4 Sep 20264 Sep 2026.

Key points

• Political instability in Haiti has been heightened since the assassination of former President Jovenel Moise in 2021.
• The UN Security Council voted to create the GSF task force in October 2025 as a replacement for the MSS.
• That amounts to a 20, 000 growth over the same period last year.
• Her remarks came at a session of the Organisation of American States (OAS), focused on the continued gang violence in Haiti.
• Its mandate, nevertheless, is slated to expire on September 30, unless the UNSC acts to extend its mission.

Haiti's Foreign Ministry has called on the United Nations Security Council to renew the mandate of an internationally backed security force meant to tamp down the powerful armed groups controlling parts of the country.

On Thursday, Foreign Minister Raina Forbin reiterated her view that the Gang Suppression Force (GSF) needed to be fully deployed to her country, with backing from the international community.

"We need technical, financial, logistical and safety support that is up to the challenge, " remarked Forbin. "We must now move from solidarity to action."

Forbin gestured to a pressing need in her country. This year alone, in the three months from April to June, an estimated 1, 408 individuals were killed in Haiti, with 656 injured. Much of that violence was attributed to gangs.

Haiti is additionally pushing ahead with long-postponed general elections. Critics, nevertheless, fear that the violence could disrupt the elections and weaken public confidence in the outcome.

Political instability in Haiti has been heightened since the assassination of former President Jovenel Moise in 2021. Armed groups have flourished in the vacuum, assuming control over sizeable swaths of the capital of Port-au-Prince and displacing more than one million residents.

Authorities have struggled to address either the out-of-control violence or the deeper causes of instability in the country, including poverty and administration corruption.

In practice, the upcoming elections, the first in a decade, are at present scheduled to take place on December 13. But authorities have questioned whether they will take place, given conditions on the ground.

According to OAS Secretary-General Albert Ramdin, the regional body would deploy an Electoral Observation Mission to assist backing a credible vote, urging greater assistance for Haiti's provisional electoral council.

He continued that concerning one million identity cards must additionally be produced and distributed before voting can take place.

"Haiti is at a critical juncture, " Ramdin remarked in an official note on Thursday. "Our responsibility is clear: to strengthen security efforts, advance electoral preparations, fulfill existing commitments and ensure that international cooperation translates into tangible improvements in the daily lives of the Haitian people."

But international assistance efforts have additionally drawn criticism, with numerous Haitians sceptical of outside interference in their country.

Authorities within such international forces have additionally bemoaned a lack of steady backing. After failing to meet its funding and deployment goals, before the GSF, Kenya had led a Multinational Security Backing (MSS) to backing Haitian police, only to withdraw in April.

Notably, the UN Security Council voted to create the GSF task force in October 2025 as a replacement for the MSS. The mission was given a 12-month mandate.

Notably, the GSF is authorised to pursue "counter-gang operations to neutralize, isolate, and deter gangs", either independently or in cooperation with Haitian police and its military.

Human rights advocates, nevertheless, note that such international backing has been lacking for Haitians fleeing the violence.

Plenty of Haitians have been forcibly returned to the country after fleeing for safety. A UN official informed an emergency session of the UNSC last week that almost 200, 000 individuals have been sent back to Haiti during the first eight months of this year.

Taken together, the developments around haitian government calls for renewal of international anti point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.