Expanding fight against Haitian gangs gets key backing from Latin, Caribbean nations
As a deadline approaches to renew the multinational force battling gangs in Haiti, a United States-led push to expand the effort has received backing from some Caribbean and Latin American nations.
Late Tuesday, foreign ministers at the Organization of American States issued a joint declaration of support, with some countries still signing on Wednesday. The statement signed by 32 member states shows support for the ongoing efforts to help Haiti take on gangs that this year have already caused the deaths of more than 3,000 people.
The United States and Panama are currently in negotiations at the United Nations Security Council to widen the mandate of the Kenya-led Multinational Security Support mission, whose current 1-year mandate expires at the end of this month. In its place, they also want to transition the current force into a more aggressive and lethal “Gang Suppression Force” with a strength of 5,500.
Breaking its silence on the proposed resolution circulating at the U.N., the office of Haiti Prime Minister Alix Dider Fils-Aimé said the U.S.-led proposal is as “a decisive step” in supporting state authority and protecting communities that have been ravaged by armed groups. The proposal, if adopted, would also contribute to national and regional stability, the government said.
“Haiti is convinced that the adoption and rapid implementation of this draft resolution will reflect the collective will of the international community to support the Haitian people in their legitimate aspiration for security, peace, dignity and democracy,” the government said.
Haiti’s approval and the endorsements of the OAS, as well as that of the 15-member Caribbean Community known as CARICOM, come as the Trump administration seeks to get the necessary votes on the Security Council where both China and Russia have veto power. Though the proposal endorses the recommendations made by U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres back in February, recent budget cuts to the U.N. by the Trump administration are creating confusion and concerns about its success. The Haiti force would be financed through U.N. members contributions to the peacekeeping budget based on Guterres’ plan.
In its joint statement, OAS members say they support the establishment of a U.N. Support Office for Haiti and a transition of the MSS into “a new force that is focused on the establishment of a safe and stable environment, for Haitian authorities to restore and maintain the rule of law, including through dismantling gangs.”
“Considering that peace requires more than security operations, we will support Haitian-led efforts to address the root causes and drivers of violence, weak democratic institutions, corruption, poverty, and persistent striking social inequalities, as well as limited access to education and essential public services,” the resolution said.
The omission of the force’s name in the OAS’ statement was intentional and the result of negotiations at the hemispheric body led by Antigua and Barbuda Ambassador Sir Ronald Sanders.
“This is not just about suppression,” Sanders said. “We have to think beyond suppressing the leadership of the gangs.” Specifically, the effort to help Haiti reestablish stability has to take into account that there “are a lot of young kids and teenagers in these gangs who are not responsible for their actions,” he added.
This complexity of the security crisis came into view this week as Tom Fletcher, the U.N.’s under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, visited Port-au-Prince. Fletcher, who has been touring a number of the world’s hot spots, used his first trip to Haiti to meet with victims of the gangs’ terrors. Among them, survivors of gang rape and residents of a large displacement camp in the middle of the capital.
At the latter, Haitians spoke repeatedly about their desire to return to their homes, and how the unsanitary and crowded conditions in the camps were forcing them to make difficult choices: stay in the camps or return to neighborhoods destroyed by armed gangs who now rule.
The heavy focus on restoring Haiti’s security, Fletcher told the Miami Herald, “has to be accompanied by a political strategy and humanitarian strategy.”
“Actually, the humanitarian bit is much less expensive than the security bit and can have as great an impact,“ he said. “Definitely, you’ve got to do the two. I mean, that’s been a real takeaway for me. You can’t just do the humanitarian stuff in a vacuum. While the armed groups are so strong ..the security strategy won’t work without a serious effort to deal with humanitarian issues, to help people, ultimately, to go home, rebuild, get their livelihoods back, get hope back.”
With nearly half of its 12 million population in need of humanitarian assistance and more than 1.3 million people displaced from their homes by armed groups, Haiti is one of the world’s top 20 crises, according to the U.N. Still, the human tragedy unfolding less than a two-hour flight from the United States, is also the world’s most neglected.
“What’s been striking over these three days in Haiti is the levels of insecurity and the levels of fear and the shocking stories that you hear of what people have lived through,” Fletcher said. “People who’ve experienced displacement, death, massive sexual violence, poverty and a sense of despair and misery, and they are wondering if the world has given up on them, and they’re wondering if they should give up on the world.”
OAS Secretary General Albert Ramdin, who recently unveiled a $2.6 billion roadmap to help Haiti, welcomed the resolution of members.
“The Americas stand ready to help Haiti move toward peace, stability and prosperity,” Ramdin said in a post on X. “I look forward to the unanimous adoption of the Haiti resolution at the UN Security Council.”
This story was originally published September 10, 2025 at 3:37 PM.
