Description: The UN reported that Haiti’s Gang Suppression Force (GSF) has received its first round of financing that exceeded any operation expectations. More than $200 million were pledged by 13 UN security council members of which $59 million have already been received by the Haitian interim government. Qatar additionally pledged $30 million to the operation while Chad has already dispatched the first contingent of around 1,500 troops. Haiti is set to hold its first election in more than five years by the end of this year as fundamental socio – economic services start gradually to return to normal. The national police force alongside private military contractors and foreign troops already reported small but significant progress as several neighborhoods in the capital have been taken under control while the gangs have been successfully neutralized.
Impact: Haiti’s socio – economic reconstruction is largely contingent on the country’s security status which would likely be a long process depending on the operational success of the GSF. The plans for elections may be preemptive considering the present circumstances, however, the interim government is betting on rapid stabilization of the security situation once the GSF starts operating in full capacity. Gangs are still largely entrenched in the capital and would likely pose a major challenge for the newly established GSF, however, with the financing of the GSF currently in stable form, immediate results are expected. After more than five years, the Caribbean country is showing the first signs of normalization with a plethora of challenges still remaining unresolved.