Global actors renew support for Haiti’s security, but fall short on funding details

PORT-AU-PRINCE — Several members of the United Nations supporting Haiti’s Gang Suppression Force (GSF) met at the Canadian Mission to the United Nations in New York to coordinate the international response to gang violence that continues to threaten Haitian sovereignty and civilians. 

The meeting, led by Canada with the United States’ assistance on Tuesday, Dec. 9, brought renewed commitments of personnel and operational support to the mission — whose full deployment date has yet to be confirmed — but still no clarity on financial pledges.

“This momentum is unprecedented,” Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé said in a statement. “Nations from every region have announced specialized personnel, critical operational capabilities, and financial support.” 

He added that the broad commitment, guided by coordination from the U.S. and Canada, underscores global recognition of Haiti’s “urgent and existential” security crisis and confidence in the government’s roadmap.

Participants reaffirmed that the GSF — the successor to the Kenya-led Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) — remains essential to restoring state authority, stabilizing the country and creating conditions needed for elections. Fils-Aimé said Haiti will work closely with partners so the force can operate alongside the Haitian National Police (PNH) to counter gangs and terrorism.

Funding commitments remain vague; more than 3,500 personnel pledged

Canada and Germany are the only countries so far to announce new funding, pledging CAD 40 million (about US$29 million) and $6 million to the GSF trust fund, respectively. The United States, a central architect of the mission, reiterated political and operational support but did not disclose how much it will contribute. Washington was the largest funder of the MSS, followed by Canada.

Several countries detailed troop commitments, but none specified accompanying financial support.

Kenya confirmed it will integrate into the new force to ensure a full transition from the MSS, according to reporting from Le Nouvelliste. Five additional countries pledged more than 3,500 personnel, shifting the mission’s composition from mostly police officers to primarily military units. The GSF will include mobile units, an air component and maritime capabilities — assets largely missing from the MSS.

During Tuesday’s meeting:

• Chad committed 1,500 soldiers.
• Bangladesh pledged 1,500 troops.
• Sri Lanka will send a Combat Unit.
• Guatemala will double its 300-member contingent.
• Argentina will deploy military engineers to establish a hospital.

The force is expected to reach 5,500 members upon full operational capacity. Canada, the United States and France again declined to deploy troops to the GSF, as they did with the MSS. The mission currently has about 1,000 members, including roughly 700 Kenyan police officers and a fifth contingent of 230 newly arrived personnel.

Mounting violence heightens urgency as security remains the barrier to elections

The meeting came as violence escalates across the country. Gang clashes and attacks on civilians and police continue to spread. At least 12 people were killed in the recent Pont-Sondé massacre, while in Mirebalais, a member of the PNH’s SWAT unit was killed in an exchange with armed groups.

Over 1.4 million people have been displaced. Thousands have been killed, and hundreds of homes destroyed in the past two years. Major national roads still fall under gang control. Despite joint Haitian forces and Kenyan-led MSS operations, no significant territories have been reclaimed, and leaders of the U.S.-designated terrorist group Viv Ansanm alliance remain at large.

Participants were asked to finalize commitments by February 2026, ahead of the GSF’s full deployment later that year.

Restoring public security — a prerequisite for elections — dominated the discussions. The meeting followed Haiti’s adoption of an electoral decree outlining the steps leading to a national vote.

Speakers emphasized that the GSF’s success must “pave the way to the polls,” allowing Haitians to choose their leaders in safety.

“Strengthening security is decisively paving the way to the polls,” the Prime Minister’s Office said. “Restoring security will create the political conditions necessary for stable and legitimate governance.”

But the path remains uncertain. Many areas with polling centers are controlled by gangs within the Viv Ansanm coalition, which has threatened to block elections without its approval. The electoral register is still incomplete and unpublished, leaving thousands without valid voter cards — many of them damaged, lost or expired.

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