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

Haitian foreign minister says renewal is necessary to ensure safety ahead of elections scheduled in December.

A mourner at a funeral service holds a picture of a person killed in an armed gang attack on August 23, in Kenscoff, Haiti, September 2, 2026 [Patrice Noel/Reuters]

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 support from the international community.

list 1 of 3 Haitian gangs release 13 captives after mass kidnapping in Kenscoff

list 2 of 3 Haiti police confront public frustration after deadly gang attack kills 47

list 3 of 3 Violence flares in Haiti as gang attack kills 30 people

Its mandate, however, is slated to expire on September 30, unless the UNSC acts to extend its mission.

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

Her remarks came at a meeting of the Organisation of American States (OAS), focused on the continued gang violence in Haiti.

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

Haiti is also pushing ahead with long-postponed general elections. Critics, however, 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 large swaths of the capital of Port-au-Prince and displacing more than one million people.

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

The upcoming elections, the first in a decade, are currently scheduled to take place on December 13. But officials have questioned whether they will take place , given conditions on the ground.

OAS Secretary-General Albert Ramdin said that the regional body would deploy an Electoral Observation Mission to help support a credible vote, urging greater assistance for Haiti’s provisional electoral council.

He added that about one million identity cards must also be produced and distributed before voting can take place.

“Haiti is at a critical juncture,” Ramdin said in a statement 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 also drawn criticism, with many Haitians sceptical of outside interference in their country.

Officials within such international forces have also bemoaned a lack of steady support. Before the GSF, Kenya had led a Multinational Security Support (MSS) to support Haitian police, only to withdraw in April, after failing to meet its funding and deployment goals.

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.

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, however, note that such international support has been lacking for Haitians fleeing the violence.

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

That amounts to a 20,000 increase over the same period last year.

海地外交部长表示，更新协议是确保12月大选前安全所必需的。

2026年9月2日，在海地肯斯科夫，一名哀悼者在葬礼上手持一张照片，照片上的人在8月23日的武装团伙袭击中丧生。[Patrice Noel/路透社]

海地外交部呼吁联合国安理会延长一支由国际社会支持的安全部队的任务授权，该部队旨在遏制控制该国部分地区的强大武装团体。

周四，外交部长雷娜·福尔宾重申了她的观点，即在国际社会的支持下，需要将打击黑帮部队（GSF）全面部署到她的国家。

肯斯科夫发生大规模绑架事件后，三个海地帮派之一释放了13名被俘人员。

海地警方在致命帮派袭击致47人死亡后面临公众的强烈不满（共3条，此为第2条）

（共3条）海地暴力事件升级，帮派袭击致30人死亡

然而，除非联合国安理会采取行动延长其任务期限，否则其任务授权将于 9 月 30 日到期。

福尔宾表示：“我们需要能够应对挑战的技术、资金、后勤和安全支持。我们现在必须从声援转向行动。”

她在美洲国家组织（OAS）的一次会议上发表了上述言论，会议重点讨论了海地持续不断的帮派暴力问题。

福尔宾指出了她祖国迫切需要帮助的问题。仅今年4月至6月这三个月，海地估计就有1408人丧生，656人受伤。其中大部分暴力事件都归咎于帮派活动。

海地也在推进推迟已久的全国大选。然而，批评人士担心暴力事件可能会扰乱选举，削弱公众对选举结果的信心。

自2021年前总统若弗内尔·莫伊兹遇刺以来，海地的政治不稳定局势加剧。武装团体趁机壮大，控制了首都太子港的大片地区，导致超过一百万人流离失所。

当局一直难以解决失控的暴力事件，也难以解决该国不稳定的深层原因，包括贫困和政府腐败。

即将举行的选举是十年来的首次选举，目前定于12月13日举行。但鉴于当地的实际情况，官员们对选举能否如期举行表示质疑。

美洲国家组织秘书长阿尔伯特·拉姆丁表示，该区域组织将部署一个选举观察团，以帮助支持可信的选举，并敦促向海地临时选举委员会提供更多援助。

他还补充说，在投票开始之前，还需要制作和分发大约一百万张身份证。

拉姆丁周四在一份声明中表示：“海地正处于关键时刻。我们的责任很明确：加强安全工作，推进选举筹备，履行现有承诺，并确保国际合作能够切实改善海地人民的日常生活。”

但国际援助努力也招致了批评，许多海地人对外部势力干涉其国家事务持怀疑态度。

这些国际部队的官员也抱怨缺乏稳定的支持。在成立全球安全部队之前，肯尼亚曾领导一支多国安全支援部队（MSS）支援海地警方，但由于未能达到资金和部署目标，于今年4月撤出。

联合国安理会于2025年10月投票决定设立全球安全部队（GSF）特遣队，以取代联合国安全特派团（MSS）。该特派团的任务期限为12个月。

GSF 被授权开展“打击帮派行动，以消灭、孤立和威慑帮派”，可以独立开展，也可以与海地警察和军队合作开展。

然而，人权倡导者指出，逃离暴力的海地人一直缺乏这种国际支持。

许多海地人在为寻求安全而逃离后，又被强行遣返回国。一位联合国官员上周在安理会紧急会议上通报说，今年前八个月已有近20万人被遣返回海地。

这比去年同期增加了2万人。