A new leader of the U.N.-backed Gang Suppression Force (GSF) arrived in Haiti on Wednesday, with an advance deployment of troops from the Central African nation of Chad, according to a statement from the GSF posted on social media.
Jack Christofides, a South African U.N. official who has overseen various peacekeeping operations in Africa, was appointed as the Special Representative of the GSF late last year.
Christofides was tasked to work with the GSF’s Force Commander Godfrey Otunge to develop a strategic plan, oversee accountability, coordinate with donors and partners and keep the U.N. Security Council updated with developments.
GSF to Deploy from April
The GSF was initially approved to aid Haitian security forces in tackling powerful gangs, armed with weapons believed to be trafficked from the United States. The first contingents of the Kenyan-led force were not deployed until the following June.
As of early this year, less than 1,000 troops—mostly Kenyan with smaller numbers of Central American and Caribbean personnel—were in Haiti.
This was under 40% of the force’s initial goal and less than 20% of the larger target of some 5,500 troops approved last year.
The U.N. has announced that the GSF should begin deploying from April and reach full numbers by summer or fall, at the latest. The GSF’s mandate is due to expire at the end of September 2026; however, the U.N. Security Council may choose to renew it for another year.
The GSF did not disclose how many people were appointed to the advance team, nor whether Kenyan forces already on the ground would begin to withdraw as previously reported.
Chad has pledged 800 troops, but it is unclear which other countries may contribute personnel.
The first Kenyan contingents arrived in 2024 under the prior model known as the Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS). It suffered chronic underfunding, a lack of troops and reliable equipment and was reliant on voluntary contributions.
Since then, more than 800,000 people have fled their homes due to gangs gaining influence on the capital and expanding to other regions in the Caribbean’s most populous nation. Approximately 12% of the population, over 1.4 million, is now internally displaced.
(With inputs from Reuters)
