UN forces have begun operations against gangs in Haiti

The UN Anti-Gang Force (GSF) has launched operations in Haiti to free the country from the terror of armed criminal groups. It is estimated that the gangs control almost the entire capital, Port-au-Prince, and a significant part of the entire country.

As local media reported on Monday, GSF operations undertaken with the support of the Haitian police began at the end of last week, including: along one of the country's most important communication arteries, in the Artibonite department north of the country's capital. As a result, safe traffic was restored on the strategic road No. 11, leading from the coast into the interior of the country.

To achieve this goal, the GSF forces had to fight several skirmishes with gangs equipped with machine guns and mortars, which – according to local media – put up fierce resistance. Citing the official statement of the GSF command, it was reported that particularly fierce fighting was taking place in the area of ​​the capital airport and the police headquarters building in Port-au-Prince.

On September 30, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution prepared by Panama and the USA on the transformation of the Multinational Security Assistance Mission in Haiti, which has been present in Haiti since October 2023, into the GSF and on the establishment of the UN Office for Support in Haiti. China, Pakistan and Russia abstained from voting on this matter. The GSFs have an initial mandate of 12 months. The UN estimates that more than 16,000 people have died as a result of armed violence in Haiti since 2022. people. (PAP)

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