Chad Prepares to Bolster Haiti's Security with 800 Officers

Chad plans to send 800 officers to Haiti as part of an international force tackling armed gangs. These officers, trained by European and American partners, are expected to arrive by June. The initiative follows Chad's pledge to support the U.N.-backed Gang Suppression Force, intended to strengthen Haiti’s police.

Chad is set to deploy 800 police officers and gendarmes to Haiti within the year, joining an international effort to assist local authorities against powerful armed gangs, confirmed a senior Chadian police official to Reuters. Expected to arrive by June, these forces will be trained by European and American partners.

Dominican Republic Foreign Minister Roberto Alvarez announced that the U.N.-backed Gang Suppression Force aims for full capacity by October, initially with Kenyan police, set to withdraw gradually. Despite Alvarez's statement on U.S. training, a State Department spokesperson denied such Chadian troop preparations in America.

The Gang Suppression Force, following the Kenyan-led Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission, remains predominantly Kenyan, awaiting significant deployment since last September. Chad affirmed its willingness to contribute to the MSS in October 2023, and similar pledges came from Benin and Bangladesh, but none have deployed yet.