U.N. special representative urges rapid deployment of gang-suppression force as Haiti crisis deepens

Carlos Ruiz Massieu, the United Nations special representative for Haiti, said at a U.N. press briefing that Security Council backing for a gang suppression force must be followed by rapid deployment to prevent further deterioration of security and humanitarian conditions.

Ruiz Massieu said the council’s resolution endorsing the transition to a gang suppression force and the extension of a sanctions regime reflect political will that must be turned into operational capacity in the coming months. "The transitional clock is sticking," he said, adding that the U.N. mission needs to be at full strength to advise Haitian authorities and support elections if conditions allow.

Why it matters: Ruiz Massieu described a deteriorating security and humanitarian situation that U.N. reporting cites as more than 16,000 people killed since January 2022 and roughly 1.4 million people affected. He said those figures, and expanding gang activity beyond Port-au-Prince into departments such as Artibonite and the Northwest, make a timely and well-coordinated international response important.

Most urgent details - Timeline and force generation: Ruiz Massieu said the U.N. office established under the Security Council resolution is expected to be in country by March 31 and that…