UN Security Council approves larger military force to tackle Haiti gangs
The United Nations Security Council on Tuesday approved expanding a UN-backed mission in gang-ravaged Haiti into a full military force of up to 5,500 personnel, adding soldiers alongside police officers. The move replaces the current law enforcement-only mission amid worsening violence and instability in the Caribbean nation.
Issued on: 01/10/2025 -
By: FRANCE 24
Target gangs'
US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said last week: "This mandate would empower the force to proactively target gangs and restore security to Haiti while ensuring it has the appropriate tools to succeed the mission's anticipated objectives."
China had expressed skepticism about the role of the MSS without political transition in Haiti, but it abstained during the vote to create it in 2023, as did Russia.
China and Russia abstained again on Tuesday's vote.
The poorest country in the Americas, Haiti has long suffered at the hands of violent criminal gangs that commit murders, rapes, looting, and kidnappings against a backdrop of chronic political instability.
The situation has worsened significantly since early 2024, when gangs drove then-Prime Minister Ariel Henry to resign.
The country, which has not held elections since 2016, has since been led by a Transitional Presidential Council.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
The United Nations Security Council on Tuesday approved expanding a UN-backed mission in gang-ravaged Haiti into a full military force of up to 5,500 personnel, adding soldiers alongside police officers. The move replaces the current law enforcement-only mission amid worsening violence and instability in the Caribbean nation.
Issued on: 01/10/2025 -
By: FRANCE 24
The United Nations Security Council holds a meeting on Iran at UN headquarters on September 19, 2025 © ANGELA WEISS, AFP
The United Nations Security Council on Tuesday adopted a resolution to transform a UN-backed security mission in gang-dominated Haiti into a larger, full-fledged force with military troops.
The new force can now have a maximum of 5,500 uniformed personnel, including police officers and soldiers, unlike the current mission, which is just law enforcement.
US ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz said the vote by 12 council members "to transform the Multinational Security Support mission to the new gang suppression force, a mission five-times the size of its predecessor" showed the "international community was sharing the burden."
Washington co-sponsored the enlargement push with Panama.
Read more US places $5 million reward for top Haiti gang leader's arrest
Currently, just 1,000 police officers, mostly from Kenya, are deployed in Haiti under the Multinational Security Mission (MSS) to support the overwhelmed Haitian police in their fight against rampant gang violence.
But the mission, which was approved in 2023, has had mixed results.
"Every day, innocent lives are snuffed out by bullets, fire and fear," Laurent Saint-Cyr, who heads the Haitian Transitional Presidential Council, told the UN's signature diplomatic gathering last week.
"Entire neighborhoods are disappearing, forcing more than a million people into internal exile and reducing to nothing memories, investments, and infrastructure.
"This is the face of Haiti today, a country at war, a contemporary Guernica, a human tragedy on America's doorstep," he said.
Saint-Cyr had thrown his support behind the US and Panamanian proposal to evolve the MSS into a more resilient force for an initial period of one year.
"The Council can help restore peace in a nation currently suffocated by merciless gangs," Panama's ambassador to the UN Eloy Alfaro de Alba said ahead of the vote.
Kenya's president William Ruto said last week that "with the right personnel, adequate resources, appropriate equipment and necessary logistics, Haiti's security can be restored."
The major force boost will be accompanied by the creation of a support office within the UN, suggested several months ago by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, to provide the required logistical and financial support.
Read more Irish missionary among nine kidnapped in Haiti orphanage raid
The United Nations Security Council on Tuesday adopted a resolution to transform a UN-backed security mission in gang-dominated Haiti into a larger, full-fledged force with military troops.
The new force can now have a maximum of 5,500 uniformed personnel, including police officers and soldiers, unlike the current mission, which is just law enforcement.
US ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz said the vote by 12 council members "to transform the Multinational Security Support mission to the new gang suppression force, a mission five-times the size of its predecessor" showed the "international community was sharing the burden."
Washington co-sponsored the enlargement push with Panama.
Read more US places $5 million reward for top Haiti gang leader's arrest
Currently, just 1,000 police officers, mostly from Kenya, are deployed in Haiti under the Multinational Security Mission (MSS) to support the overwhelmed Haitian police in their fight against rampant gang violence.
But the mission, which was approved in 2023, has had mixed results.
"Every day, innocent lives are snuffed out by bullets, fire and fear," Laurent Saint-Cyr, who heads the Haitian Transitional Presidential Council, told the UN's signature diplomatic gathering last week.
"Entire neighborhoods are disappearing, forcing more than a million people into internal exile and reducing to nothing memories, investments, and infrastructure.
"This is the face of Haiti today, a country at war, a contemporary Guernica, a human tragedy on America's doorstep," he said.
Saint-Cyr had thrown his support behind the US and Panamanian proposal to evolve the MSS into a more resilient force for an initial period of one year.
"The Council can help restore peace in a nation currently suffocated by merciless gangs," Panama's ambassador to the UN Eloy Alfaro de Alba said ahead of the vote.
Kenya's president William Ruto said last week that "with the right personnel, adequate resources, appropriate equipment and necessary logistics, Haiti's security can be restored."
The major force boost will be accompanied by the creation of a support office within the UN, suggested several months ago by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, to provide the required logistical and financial support.
Read more Irish missionary among nine kidnapped in Haiti orphanage raid
Target gangs'
US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said last week: "This mandate would empower the force to proactively target gangs and restore security to Haiti while ensuring it has the appropriate tools to succeed the mission's anticipated objectives."
China had expressed skepticism about the role of the MSS without political transition in Haiti, but it abstained during the vote to create it in 2023, as did Russia.
China and Russia abstained again on Tuesday's vote.
The poorest country in the Americas, Haiti has long suffered at the hands of violent criminal gangs that commit murders, rapes, looting, and kidnappings against a backdrop of chronic political instability.
The situation has worsened significantly since early 2024, when gangs drove then-Prime Minister Ariel Henry to resign.
The country, which has not held elections since 2016, has since been led by a Transitional Presidential Council.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
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FRANCE 24 wins DIG Award for 'Haiti: The Iron Grip of the Gangs' documentary
FRANCE 24 journalists Catherine Norris-Trent and Roméo Langlois have won the 2025 DIG Award for Long Reportage for their documentary, "Haiti: The Iron Grip of the Gangs". The annual DIG festival celebrates the best projects in investigative journalism and reportage of the past year.
Issued on: 28/09/2025
By: FRANCE 24
FRANCE 24 journalists Catherine Norris-Trent and Roméo Langlois have won the 2025 DIG Award for Long Reportage for their documentary, "Haiti: The Iron Grip of the Gangs". The annual DIG festival celebrates the best projects in investigative journalism and reportage of the past year.
Issued on: 28/09/2025
By: FRANCE 24
FRANCE 24 journalist Roméo Langlois accepts the DIG Award for Long Reportage on September 27, 2025, in Modena. © Dig Awards 2025
Investigative reporter Roméo Langlois accepted the award on behalf of himself and senior international correspondent Catherine Norris-Trent at the 2025 DIG Festival awards ceremony (September 24-28), which celebrates the best projects in investigative journalism and reportage published over the last year.
DIG is a non-profit organisation that supports watchdog journalism all over the world from its headquarters in Modena, Italy. Its acronym stands for Documentari, Inchieste, Giornalismi (Documentaries, Investigations, Journalism).
The documentary also won the prize for best special report at the 30th “Lauriers de l’audiovisuel” awards ceremony in Paris on February 24, 2025.
The DIG jury shared its reasons for awarding the prize to Norris-Trent and Langlois by noting that the Haiti of today "is one of the most complex and dangerous places in which to practice this profession":
"Journalism is, first and foremost, about being present on the ground. But this can never be taken for granted: it requires courage, preparation, and the ability to move around, knowing that not all places offer the same conditions of safety. Today, Haiti is one of the most complex and dangerous places in which to practice this profession. 'Haiti: The Iron Grip of the Gangs' powerfully recounts this reality, revealing a country where violence is now endemic, impunity reigns, and gangs limit freedom of movement and hope for the future. It is a film that reflects not only the brutality of the Haitian situation, but also the resilience of journalism when confronted with the most extreme environments."
In Port-au-Prince, nearly three million people are living in the grips of an asphyxiating gang war. The crisis continues despite the arrival of the first Kenyan police officers as part of a UN-backed multinational force to stem the violence. Although this international effort offers a glimmer of hope, few residents believe it could provide an effective or long-lasting solution. FRANCE 24's Catherine Norris-Trent and Roméo Langlois bring you behind the scenes of this exclusive 52-minute documentary.
To watch the full documentary "Haiti: The Iron Grip of the Gangs", click here.
Investigative reporter Roméo Langlois accepted the award on behalf of himself and senior international correspondent Catherine Norris-Trent at the 2025 DIG Festival awards ceremony (September 24-28), which celebrates the best projects in investigative journalism and reportage published over the last year.
DIG is a non-profit organisation that supports watchdog journalism all over the world from its headquarters in Modena, Italy. Its acronym stands for Documentari, Inchieste, Giornalismi (Documentaries, Investigations, Journalism).
The documentary also won the prize for best special report at the 30th “Lauriers de l’audiovisuel” awards ceremony in Paris on February 24, 2025.
The DIG jury shared its reasons for awarding the prize to Norris-Trent and Langlois by noting that the Haiti of today "is one of the most complex and dangerous places in which to practice this profession":
"Journalism is, first and foremost, about being present on the ground. But this can never be taken for granted: it requires courage, preparation, and the ability to move around, knowing that not all places offer the same conditions of safety. Today, Haiti is one of the most complex and dangerous places in which to practice this profession. 'Haiti: The Iron Grip of the Gangs' powerfully recounts this reality, revealing a country where violence is now endemic, impunity reigns, and gangs limit freedom of movement and hope for the future. It is a film that reflects not only the brutality of the Haitian situation, but also the resilience of journalism when confronted with the most extreme environments."
In Port-au-Prince, nearly three million people are living in the grips of an asphyxiating gang war. The crisis continues despite the arrival of the first Kenyan police officers as part of a UN-backed multinational force to stem the violence. Although this international effort offers a glimmer of hope, few residents believe it could provide an effective or long-lasting solution. FRANCE 24's Catherine Norris-Trent and Roméo Langlois bring you behind the scenes of this exclusive 52-minute documentary.
To watch the full documentary "Haiti: The Iron Grip of the Gangs", click here.
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