Haiti Expands Police and Army Training While Seeking Full International Support

Haiti’s government is rapidly expanding its security corps to confront entrenched gang violence. A police training programme targets 4,000 officers, with more than 2,000 already completing courses. Parallelly, the army has graduated over 1,500 new soldiers and intends to add another 15,000 recruits over the next three years. Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils‑Aimé presented these figures as part of a longer‑term strategy that moves beyond emergency response, aiming to give Haiti the institutional capacity to protect its citizens and restore public order. The accelerated pace reflects the urgency expressed by communities that have endured massacres, displacement and attacks on women and children.

While national forces expand, Haiti still depends on a multinational “gang suppression” contingent that the United Nations authorized at a strength of 5,500 personnel. Prime Minister Fils‑Aimé warned that the mission remains under‑staffed and lacks the equipment needed for effective operations, urging the Security Council to renew its mandate and provide the full complement of troops, vehicles and logistical support. He emphasized that a mandate alone cannot secure the streets; sustained deployment is essential to protect civilians, support the newly trained police and soldiers, and prevent a security vacuum as Haiti rebuilds.

Complementing the security push, the government has launched two specialized judicial hubs to investigate financial crimes, mass atrocities and sexual violence, and has reactivated the national commission for disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration. These institutions aim to break the flow of illicit weapons that fuel gang activity, a problem Prime Minister Fils‑Aimé linked to transnational trafficking networks. At the same time, he called for a fundamental change in Haiti’s economic partnership with the international community, urging a move from short‑term aid toward investment that creates jobs for youth and women. He argues that sustainable peace depends on both security reforms and a productive economy.