This is what you need to know about the new gang suppression force (GSF).
What is the GSF?
The gang suppression force (GSF) in Haiti is a multinational mission recently authorized by the UN Security Council.
With a 12 -month mandate, the force of 5,550 people will work together with the Haitian authorities to neutralize gangs, ensure infrastructure and support humanitarian access.
Its main objective is to protect vulnerable populations from growing violence and avoiding the displacement that inevitably causes.
Haitian police check the documents of a driver at a control point.
The resolution of the Security Council was copatrocinated by Panama and the United States and reflects broad international support for the multidimensional crisis that has deepened in Haiti in recent years.
What are the objectives of the new force?
Its central objectives include carrying out intelligence operations to dismantle armed gangs, ensure a critical infrastructure and guarantee humanitarian access, all while protecting the population.
The GSF will work in close collaboration with the Haitian authorities, particularly with the National Police with the aim of putting Haiti in a position to assume responsibility for their own security.
The mission also aims to strengthen national institutions and facilitate the conditions for peace and long -term development. A UN support office will be established to provide logistics and operational support.
What replaces the GSF?
The gang suppression force (GSF) replaces the multinational safety support mission (MSS) in Haiti, marking a change in the strategy.
The MSS, led by Kenya, focused on supporting the Haitian National Police with limited personnel and resources. It was launched in October 2023 with the first contingent to arrive in June of the following year. He remained with insufficient funds and never deployed the mandatory force of 2500 people.
The GSF will be a larger and more robust force with a broader mandate.
Why is it necessary?
A force is urgently needed to suppress gangs in Haiti due to an unprecedented security situation.
The members of the gangs walk through a neighborhood in Port-Au Prince.
According to reports, armed groups now control up to 90 percent of the capital of Haiti, Prince Port-Au, blocking access roads, attacking the infrastructure and terrorizing civilians with rescue kidnappings, rapes and murders.
More than 5,600 people were killed only in 2024.
Since March 2025, violence has expanded to previously intact areas of the country outside the capital, specifically the departments of Artibonita and center where 92,000 and 147,000 people have been displaced respectively.
In total, more than 1.3 million people have been displaced, and essential services such as medical care and food distribution have collapsed.
The Haitian National Police lacks the ability to respond effectively.
Why can’t Haiti deal with this problem alone?
Haiti cannot address their gang crisis only due to the collapse of state institutions, police with little resources and overwhelming violence.
Gangs are establishing criminal governance, exploiting children and trafficking in weapons, as well as drugs.
The UN has declared on numerous occasions that impunity, corruption and institutional collapse are feeding Haiti’s insecurity.
Will the GSF solve Haiti’s problems?
UN officials have emphasized that security alone cannot resolve Haiti’s agitation.
The country faces multiple crises; Humanitarian needs, caused by insecurity and natural disasters such as earthquakes, are growing, the economy is in free fall, poverty and underdevelopment are abundant and there has been no government chosen since the murder of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021.
People in Port-Au Prince have been forced to flee violence and live in tents in safer places.
The UN Member States have emphasized that the GSF must be part of a broader strategy that includes governance reform, humanitarian aid and long -term development.
In summary, the GSF is a necessary but insufficient measure: international support must go beyond security to help Haiti recover.
When will GSF operations begin in Haiti?
The GSF is expected to begin operations after the expiration of the MSS mandate on October 2, 2025, although it will take time to develop the new strength to the objective of 5500 security personnel plus 50 civil employees and establish the UN Office to support it.
It is not yet clear which countries will provide staff. The resolution of the Security Council establishes that the force will be financed mainly through voluntary contributions of the UN Member States.