September 10, 2026
The Gang Suppression Force (GSF) will not have reached the authorized strength of 5,500 members set by the UN by October, according to its spokesperson Igor Rugwiza. He attributes this delay to logistical constraints related to the deployment of contingents and equipment.
Mr. Rugwiza specified that new troops continue to arrive in Haiti, while refusing to disclose the current number present for operational reasons. He recalled that logistical coordination falls under the United Nations Support Office in Haiti (BANUH in French), created alongside the GSF by resolution 2793.
Deployed on the ground since June 21, the force is conducting operations in particular in Tabarre, Cité Soleil, Artibonite and downtown Port-au-Prince. Its first intervention in Tabarre notably made it possible to destroy Molotov cocktails intended to attack armored vehicles and to hand over several arrested individuals to judicial authorities.
This delay comes as Haitian authorities prepare the first round of elections set for December 13, with the objective of reopening certain national roads. Asked about the possibility of achieving this objective before the vote, Igor Rugwiza refrained from making any promises, stating that the FRG will do “its best” to facilitate the holding of the elections.
