Chad commits 1,500 soldiers to un-backed security mission in Haiti

In a significant development for African current affairs, Chad will deploy 1,500 soldiers to Haiti. The troops will join a United Nations security force aimed at combating severe gang violence in the Caribbean country, a move confirmed in a presidential letter to Parliament.

The letter from Chadian President Mahamat Déby Itno, which was read to the Central African nation’s deputies on Monday, detailed the commitment. It stated that two battalions of 750 soldiers each would be dispatched for a one-year term, beginning this month, in response to a request from the United Nations.

President Déby Itno also revealed that a preliminary contingent of 400 personnel is already in Haiti. He described the mission as a point of pride for Chad and its defense and security forces, marking a notable moment in African governance on the global stage.

This Chadian support strengthens a Kenya-led multinational force that was expanded by the UN Security Council last year. The mission, designated the Gang Repression Force, was authorized to grow to 5,500 troops. Crucially, its mandate was broadened to include the power to arrest suspected gang members, an authority the previous force did not possess.

The earlier mission, initiated in 2023 and led by Kenyan police, was intended to have 2,500 members but was severely hampered by a lack of adequate personnel and financial resources.

The situation in Haiti is dire, with violent gangs controlling up to 90% of the capital, Port-au-Prince, along with significant swathes of territory in the country’s central region. The nation’s instability was starkly highlighted in 2021 when a group of armed men assassinated former President Jovenel Moïse in his home.

The violence remains relentless. According to human rights groups, a recent attack last month by the Gran Grif gang in the town of Petite-Rivière de l’Artibonite, located in central Haiti, left at least 30 people dead and dozens more missing.