Haiti Launches Gang Suppression Force Amid UN Findings

Haiti’s Gang Suppression Force officially began operations at a ceremony in Tabarre, where Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé said the mission should help restore state control, protect civilians and enable credible elections, while stressing that security efforts must be paired with stronger institutions, justice and public services. A new U.N. experts’ report warns that armed groups are sustained by political, economic and security figures, and describes weapons trafficking, sanctions evasion and links between gang members and local authorities that could be used to influence elections. The report also says the Viv Ansanm gang alliance has fractured, potentially exposing civilians to renewed violence, displacement and sexual violence, and cautions that targeting gang leaders without confronting their support networks will not be enough. With elections facing further postponement amid worsening violence and political paralysis, a Jamaican editorial argues that international efforts must pursue and punish the wealthy individuals and networks financing and arming gangs, not just gang members themselves.