World News
Haiti requests UN mandate extension for international security mission ahead of planned elections
Foreign Minister Raina Forbin urges the UN Security Council to renew the Gang Suppression Force mandate before its September 30 expiration.
The short version
- Haiti's government has asked the UN Security Council to renew the mandate of the Gang Suppression Force before it expires on September 30.
- The country requires international logistical, financial, and security aid to prepare for general elections scheduled for December 13.
- Widespread gang control and violence have displaced more than one million people and cast doubt on whether credible elections can take place.
- It remains uncertain whether the UN Security Council will approve the extension and whether necessary election infrastructure, including one million identity cards, will be ready.
Key facts
- Haiti's Foreign Ministry requested that the UN Security Council renew the mandate for the Gang Suppression Force ahead of its scheduled expiration on September 30.[Al Jazeera]
- General elections are currently scheduled for December 13, representing Haiti's first nationwide vote in a decade.[Al Jazeera]
- An estimated 1,408 people were killed and 656 were injured in Haiti between April and June.[Al Jazeera]
- More than one million people have been displaced in Haiti since the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse as armed groups expanded control over broad sections of Port-au-Prince.[Al Jazeera]
- The UN Security Council established the 12-month mandate for the Gang Suppression Force in October 2025 to replace a prior Kenya-led mission.[Al Jazeera]
- Organisation of American States Secretary-General Albert Ramdin noted that approximately one million identity cards must be issued before the vote, and announced an OAS Electoral Observation Mission.[Al Jazeera]
- A UN official reported that nearly 200,000 individuals were forcibly returned to Haiti during the first eight months of the year.[Al Jazeera]
What remains uncertain
- Whether the UN Security Council will vote to extend the Gang Suppression Force mandate before September 30.[Al Jazeera]
- Whether security conditions and the distribution of identity cards will allow the December 13 elections to proceed as planned.[Al Jazeera]