Ofure Akhigbe
The UN Security Council has approved a stronger mandate for the Kenya-led multinational force in Haiti, authorizing it to act as a “Gang Suppression Force” with powers to detain suspected gang members.
The resolution, co-sponsored by the United States and Panama, was adopted Tuesday with 12 votes in favor. Russia, China, and Pakistan abstained. It was formally passed as Resolution 2793.
U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz said the move “offers Haiti hope… hope that has been rapidly slipping away as terrorist gangs expanded their territory, raped, pillaged, murdered, and terrorized the Haitian population.”
Haiti’s Permanent Representative, Ericq Pierre, hailed the decision as a “decisive turning point” in efforts to combat escalating violence.
The Kenya-led force, first deployed in June 2024, remains under 1,000 troops due to funding shortages, well below its planned strength of 2,500.
Gang violence has surged since the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, with armed groups now controlling about 90 percent of Port-au-Prince and spreading into rural areas. The crisis has unleashed a wave of kidnappings, sexual violence, and lawlessness across the country.