Security Gains on Fragile Ground
Haiti stands at a critical moment as the UN Security Council prepares to vote on renewing the Gang Suppression Force. After years of political paralysis and escalating violence, withdrawing international security support could deepen an already devastating crisis. The force has therefore become an important, though limited, source of hope.
Yet security cannot be separated from Haiti’s wider institutional collapse. The country has not held elections since 2016 and currently lacks elected representatives at every level of government. Public trust has also deteriorated, with more than 75 per cent of Haitians expressing distrust toward political leaders. This leaves the idea of a purely “Haitian-led” solution facing a difficult question: who can genuinely lead recovery when political institutions remain so weak?
Against this backdrop, the Gang Suppression Force has produced some early signs of progress. Following operations against gangs, a slight majority of Haitians surveyed in May believed their communities had become safer. Support for the force was particularly strong among people living near gang-controlled areas and among younger Haitians. Still, optimism remains cautious, as more than half of respondents doubted that the force could accomplish its mission.
Beyond Gang Suppression
This uncertainty reveals the limits of treating Haiti’s crisis primarily as a security problem. Haitians themselves identified education and healthcare as essential priorities for rebuilding security and restoring everyday life. Military action may weaken gangs, but it cannot replace schools, hospitals, functioning institutions, or economic opportunities.
For this reason, renewing the force should be only the first step. Haiti also needs sustained investment in its social and physical infrastructure, yet the international community remains divided and development funding is increasingly uncertain. The disappearance of USAID as a major coordinating actor raises an especially difficult question: who will now mobilize donors and organize the next stage of Haiti’s recovery?
Possible solutions include partnerships that release funds when Haitian authorities meet agreed goals in security, healthcare, education, and economic reform. Development banks and private investment institutions could also help fill financial gaps. However, rebuilding a country with a weakened interim government presents its own challenges, particularly when traditional loans could add further pressure to already fragile institutions.
A Test for International Cooperation
Haiti’s future also carries consequences beyond its borders. Continued state collapse could strengthen gun smuggling, drug trafficking, and other forms of transnational crime across the Caribbean and the wider Atlantic region. In that sense, restoring security in Haiti is both a humanitarian responsibility and an international concern.
The upcoming UN vote therefore represents more than a decision about whether to maintain a security force. It will test whether international cooperation can move beyond containing violence and address the conditions that allow instability to persist. Renewing the GSF may protect the fragile progress already achieved, but lasting recovery will depend on whether security efforts are matched by serious commitments to education, healthcare, economic development, and institutional reconstruction.
Reference: Sabatini, C. (2026, September 10). Will the UN vote to sustain Haiti’s Gang Suppression Force? Chatham House. https://www.chathamhouse.org/2026/09/will-un-vote-sustain-haitis-gang-suppression-force