UN Security Council extends Haiti anti-gang force mandate as 11 die in Artibonite reprisal

Security Council vote and mandate renewal

The United Nations Security Council voted on Tuesday to extend the mandate of the Gang Suppression Force in Haiti for six months, keeping the international mission deployed through 31 March 2027. Co-sponsored by the United States and Panama, the resolution received 12 votes in favour, with China, Russia, and Pakistan abstaining over questions regarding mission efficacy, troop levels, and financing. The resolution maintains operational and logistical support through the United Nations Support Office in Haiti. The office of Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé welcomed the council's decision as a step forward for national security.

The entire effort... is designed around the ultimate objective that Haitians themselves take back control of their own security and their own future, and this cannot and will not become an endless mission.

Deadly retaliation in Artibonite

The diplomatic decision followed violence in Haiti's agricultural region of Artibonite on Monday. A Sri Lankan unit operating under the task force clashed with members of the Kokorat San Ras gang who had erected illegal toll checkpoints near Gros-Morne, killing three gang fighters. After the foreign unit withdrew several hours later to its base in Gonaïves, armed gang members launched a reprisal assault on local residents.

The bandits in retaliation attacked...they killed and burned homes.

Gros-Morne Mayor Hubert Ceneac reported that between 11 and 12 residents were killed in the raid as homes were set on fire. Rosy Ducena, head of the National Human Rights Defense Network, stated that full casualties and damages remained unconfirmed, though a single family had already lost multiple members. The attack follows an assault a month earlier in Kenscoff, where armed groups killed at least 47 people and abducted approximately 50 others.

Deployment shortfalls and mission structure

The Gang Suppression Force succeeded the Kenyan-led Multinational Security Support mission in April after the earlier deployment experienced staffing and funding shortages. Although planners intended the force to scale up to 5,500 uniformed personnel and 50 civilian specialists between April and October, the mission currently operates with roughly 1,500 personnel. Participating nations providing troops include Chad, El Salvador, Guatemala, Jamaica, Mongolia, and Sri Lanka.

Unlike its predecessor, the current task force holds an expanded mandate allowing it to conduct autonomous operations or coordinate directly with Haiti's military. United States Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz stated that 4,000 additional personnel are scheduled to arrive in the coming months. Neighboring Dominican Republic has expressed concern over deployment delays, while China stated during council deliberations that military mechanisms alone cannot resolve the crisis.

Preparations for December elections

The security deployment is structured around preparations for nationwide elections scheduled for 13 December 2026, which would represent Haiti's first presidential and legislative vote since 2016 alongside a constitutional referendum. Haiti has lacked elected senators since legislative mandates expired in 2023, while a transitional presidential council established in 2024 ended before balloting could take place. The Security Council resolution also registered grave concern over the systematic recruitment of children into armed criminal gangs, calling for demobilisation and psychosocial rehabilitation programs.