Anti-gang force in Haiti: over 50 Chadian police officers deployed to Port-au-Prince
Over 50 Chadian police officers have arrived in Port-au-Prince to join the new UN-supervised Gang Suppression Force.
First Chadian contingents deployed for the GSF in Haiti
More than fifty Chadian police officers landed in Port-au-Prince on Wednesday, forming the initial contingents of the new Gang Suppression Force (GSF), according to lefigaro.fr citing a government source contacted by AFP. A larger contingent is expected to follow in the coming days.
This arrival corresponds to a "pre-deployment" of the GSF, a multinational mission placed under United Nations supervision. The force is designed to assist the Haitian police in its operations against gangs, which have been responsible for years of murders, rapes, looting and kidnappings in this country, the poorest in the Americas.
Up to 5,500 members expected
Eighteen countries have committed to joining the GSF, whose total strength is planned at 5,500 members. The mission is taking over from the Multinational Security Support Mission (MSSM), deployed since June 2024 under Kenyan command. Of the 1,500 Chadian police officers who will participate in the GSF, 350 are to be deployed "in the coming days", the government source said, without specifying an exact date.
On Wednesday also, the GSF announced the arrival in Haiti of its special representative, South African Jack Christofides.
Context of heightened violence
These deployments come against a backdrop of escalating violence. According to the UN and human rights organisations, over 70 people were killed in an armed gang attack over the last weekend in the municipality of Petite-Rivière-de-l'Artibonite.
Most countries that sent troops as part of the MSSM, including Kenya, have begun repatriating them in recent weeks. However, a few hundred Kenyan police officers are to remain in place at least until October in order to ensure the transition to the GSF, according to a source from the Haitian government cited by AFP.
Source: Google News HT — Crime