The United Nations Security Council has taken a decisive step in the ongoing crisis in Haiti, approving a major expansion and transformation of the international security mission tasked with combating the country’s rampant gang violence. On September 30, 2025, the Council voted overwhelmingly in favor—13 members supporting, with Russia, China, and Pakistan abstaining—to replace the struggling Kenyan-led Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) with a far larger and more robust Gang Suppression Force (GSF), granting it a 12-month mandate and a maximum strength of 5,500 uniformed personnel, including both police and soldiers, according to UN News and AFP.
This move comes as Haiti’s crisis deepens, with armed gangs controlling nearly all of Port-au-Prince and violence spilling into surrounding regions. The United Nations’ own monitoring paints a grim picture: since January 1, 2022, more than 16,000 people have been killed and about 7,000 injured in Haiti’s relentless armed violence. The capital’s streets have become battlegrounds, and the humanitarian toll is staggering. The UN Human Rights Chief, Volker Türk, warned the Human Rights Council on October 2, 2025, that “the worst may be yet to come for Haiti and the broader region” if international commitment and funding are not urgently secured.
Children are among the most tragic victims of this spiraling violence. UNICEF recently revealed that up to 50% of gang members in Haiti may be minors, many trafficked, exploited, and forcibly recruited. They are pressed into service as couriers, lookouts, weapons carriers, and even combatants—roles that leave deep scars on both individuals and society. “We can only imagine the long-term impact, for the children of Haiti, and for society as a whole,” Türk reflected, as quoted by UN News.
The newly authorized GSF will operate under a different leadership structure than its predecessor. Representatives from contributing countries—including the United States and Canada—will lead the force, and a new United Nations Support Office will be established to provide logistical and operational backing. Yet, the mission’s success hinges on voluntary contributions of personnel and funding, a point not lost on critics. Kenyan President William Ruto, whose country led the previous mission, acknowledged persistent logistical and staffing challenges, even noting that vehicles provided were often damaged. Despite these hurdles, he affirmed Kenya’s readiness to participate in the new force.
“Today’s vote is an acknowledgment that, due to the lack of real burden sharing, the international community has failed to carry out missions that are in line with its objectives. This mission has no scaling, coverage, and resources needed to combat these gangs and restore security in Haiti,” said U.S. Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz, according to UN News.
However, not all member states are convinced that the new approach will be a panacea. Russia and China, both abstaining from the vote, voiced strong reservations. Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia questioned, “Let’s be honest, if the contributor fails to provide the promised funds for the MSS, what guarantees that things will be different from this new mission?” He highlighted the relatively small sums needed for Haiti compared to the billions spent elsewhere, such as in Ukraine. Chinese Ambassador Fu Cong, while refraining from a veto “given Haiti’s poor security situation and concerns as well as calls from the international community,” nonetheless stressed that “our questions and concerns remain. We are very concerned about GSF’s operations and prospects.”
The Security Council’s resolution authorizes participating countries to “take all necessary steps” to fulfill the GSF’s mandate—language widely understood as permission to use armed force. This is a significant escalation from the previous law enforcement-focused mission and underscores the severity of the crisis. The new force’s establishment also includes a UN Support Office, intended to address some of the logistical and organizational shortcomings that plagued the MSS.
Yet, the challenges are immense and immediate. The UN has reported that 1.3 million people have been forced from their homes, and hunger is on the rise as gangs hijack food supplies, extort at illegal checkpoints, and destroy infrastructure. The World Food Program warns that escalating violence is restricting humanitarian access and pushing families deeper into hunger, especially as funding shortfalls force aid agencies to slash rations and suspend programs. Between January and June 2025, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières treated 2,600 survivors of sexual violence and over 2,200 people for traumatic injuries—26% of them minors, most under the age of 15.
The violence has reached a “boiling point,” said Türk, with abuses and atrocities escalating since March 2025. The Haitian government’s response has included a sharp increase in the use of explosive drones in anti-gang operations—a tactic that, by mid-September, had killed at least 559 people, including 11 children. “Most of these drone strikes are likely unlawful under international human rights law,” Türk cautioned. Specialized police units have summarily executed 174 people this year for alleged gang affiliation, and so-called self-defense groups and angry mobs have killed more than 500 alleged gang members—sometimes with the alleged support of Haitian police officers.
Meanwhile, civilians are increasingly trapped between the violence of gangs and the heavy-handed tactics of security forces. Health facilities are overwhelmed or shuttered, and sexual violence is being wielded as a tool of control and punishment. “Civilians must be spared by the parties to this conflict,” pleaded Mumuza Muhindo Musubaho, head of mission for Doctors Without Borders in Haiti.
Weapons trafficking remains rampant, with an estimated 270,000 to 500,000 illegal firearms circulating in Haiti—most in the hands of gangs. The violence has also begun to destabilize regions beyond Port-au-Prince, threatening the wider sub-region and fueling further trafficking of drugs, weapons, and people.
Despite overwhelming support for the GSF, many questions remain unresolved: how soon will the additional security forces arrive, which countries will deploy troops, and what role will Kenyan forces play in the new structure? Funding is another urgent concern, as underscored by Türk and echoed by regional leaders like U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who called the Security Council’s action “a critical effort to restore order, protect lives, and support Haiti’s path to stability and democracy.”
As the new Gang Suppression Force prepares to take the reins, Haiti stands at a crossroads. The international community’s resolve—and its willingness to back words with real resources—will determine whether this latest intervention can turn the tide in a nation long battered by violence, hunger, and instability.
