Haiti’s security crisis entered a new phase on December 8 with the arrival of 230 Kenyan police officers in Port-au-Prince, marking one of the largest reinforcement efforts since the United Nations (U.N.) expanded and restructured its security mission. Officers have been deployed to the newly established Gang Suppression Force (G.S.F.), which replaces the inadequately resourced Multinational Security Support (M.S.S.) mission. This transition comes as violence continues to surge in Haiti’s capital and its surrounding regions.

The deployment coincided with the departure of more than 100 Kenyan officers returning to Nairobi as part of a scheduled rotation. Unlike the M.S.S., which focused primarily on stabilization, G.S.F. is explicitly tasked with reclaiming territory and supporting humanitarian access. Kenya remains the largest contributor, with smaller contingents coming from Jamaica, the Bahamas, Belize, Guatemala, and El Salvador.

“I express my gratitude to the Kenyan police officers who have arrived and made themselves available to support the Haitian National Police and the Armed Forces at this decisive moment,” said Laurent Saint-Cyr, President of Haiti’s Presidential Transitional Council (CPT), during a welcoming ceremony.

For Kenya’s G.S.F Force Commander, Godfrey Otunge, the rotation carries strategic weight beyond routine personnel changes. The arrival of this fifth Kenyan contingent since June 2024 signals Nairobi’s long-term commitment to stabilizing Haiti. “We will defeat the violent actors who have held entire communities hostage for far too long. There will be no refuge for those who choose to oppress and terrorize innocent people,” Otunge stated. Urging Haitians to remain hopeful, he added, “We will not rest until we have achieved our shared goal: a secure Haiti capable of holding free, fair, and credible national elections.”

The renewed deployment comes amid a sharp escalation in violence across Port-au-Prince and neighboring regions, particularly Artibonite. In recent weeks, gangs killed at least 20 people in the town of Pont-Sondé, while continuing to carry out kidnappings, arson attacks, and road blockades. These actions have contributed to the displacement of more than 1.4 million people nationwide, deepening an already dire humanitarian crisis.

Heavily armed criminal groups—many equipped with weapons smuggled from the United States—have steadily expanded their territorial control over Port-au-Prince and parts of central Haiti. Operating under a loosely formed coalition known as Viv Ansanm, these gangs have been linked to a wave of violence that includes widespread killings, sexual assaults, kidnappings for ransom, and systematic arson attacks, all of which have devastated the economy and traumatized the local population. Despite an expanded mandate for intervention, neighborhoods such as Bel-Air, Croix-des-Bouquets, Croix-des-Missions, Delmas 6, Village de Dieu, and Mirebalais remain firmly under gang control, with no significant arrests of senior leaders from Viv Ansanm.

As global attention remains focused on conflicts such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Haiti, the world’s first Black republic, stands dangerously close to collapse. Armed gangs now control an estimated 85 percent of Port-au-Prince and large swaths of the country. Millions of Haitians face acute insecurity, food scarcity, and limited access to clean water or livelihoods. Meanwhile, the United States has provided over $1 billion in logistical support, covering housing, food, transportation, and medical assistance; however, its contributions to the U.N. trust fund have been limited to just $15 million. As of December, the fund holds just $113 million, far below the estimated $800 million required annually to sustain operations, with no new contributions recorded since August. With a poorly trained and corruption-plagued national police force and international reinforcements arriving slowly, the Kenyan-led mission faces mounting pressure to restore stability before Haiti’s fragile government attempts to organize long-delayed elections.