Statement by the Special Representative of the Gang Suppression Force to the Security Council, 23 April 2026

Delivered to the Security Council on 23 April 2026, three weeks after the Gang Suppression Force succeeded the Multinational Security Support mission and before the Force had begun operations. Christofides opens by acknowledging the MSS under Kenyan Force Commander Godfrey Otunge as the foundation the GSF builds on, and thanks the Government of Haiti and Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé for their cooperation in standing the mission up.

The substance is the state of assembly. A deployment plan has been drawn up with the Haitian authorities and focuses on priority areas and uses the specialised capabilities of contributing forces. The stated objective is to degrade gangs' operational capacity to a level Haitian institutions can sustainably manage, creating time and space for the State to reassert authority. The Concept of Operations is finalised, civilian deployment and the structures for intelligence-led planning are being established, and pre-deployment and induction training are being prioritised. Force generation is described as progressing with pledges from Member States; an initial deployment package has been approved within the authorised ceiling, with deployments in phases over the coming months. Maritime and border dimensions are singled out as particularly important, including support for Haiti's capacity to manage its ports and commercial entry points.

On coordination, the statement names the United Nations Support Office in Haiti and the Country Team, welcomes the appointment of Daniela Kroslak as Head of UNSOH, and describes engagement with the Dominican Republic on border management and joint planning with the Haitian National Police on procedures for detention, transfer and judicial processing. On risk, it commits to civilian protection, prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse, and adherence to international human rights law, and states that arrangements on detention and treatment of individuals are being aligned with legal standards, with attention to whether national institutions can sustain apprehensions through the judicial process. The framing sentence is that effectiveness without accountability will not build trust, and accountability without effectiveness will not deliver security.