In a renewed push to fight the gang-fueled violence plaguing the nation, the Haitian authorities introduced Friday that it has deployed 150 troopers to Mexico for navy coaching. The transfer is a part of a broader settlement between the 2 nations that can see a complete of 700 Haitian troopers skilled as a part of efforts to rebuild the nation’s armed forces.
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“This departure marks a historic milestone within the reconstruction of the Haitian Armed Forces and is a part of a coverage of strengthening nationwide safety capabilities,” the federal government mentioned in a press release. “It illustrates the federal government’s agency dedication to revive … state authority all through the nation.”
The troopers will spend three months in Mexico earlier than returning to hitch the Haitian Nationwide Police in operations concentrating on the gangs which have seized near-total management of the capital, Port-au-Prince. They’re anticipated to work alongside Kenyan law enforcement officials lately deployed as a part of a U.N.-backed multinational mission, which has confronted criticism for being underfunded and sluggish to take form.
From October 2024 to June 2025, greater than 4,800 folks have been killed by gang violence in Haiti, with hundreds extra injured, kidnapped, raped, or trafficked, in line with United Nations knowledge. The surge in violence has overwhelmed native authorities and displaced tens of hundreds of residents.
Earlier this month, round 30 Haitian troopers have been additionally despatched to Martinique, a French Caribbean territory, for 2 weeks of specialised coaching—one other sign of Haiti’s intensifying effort to professionalize and increase its navy ranks.
Haiti’s armed forces have been initially disbanded in 1995 after years of human rights abuses and repeated involvement in coups, most notably following the ousting of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. The military was reinstated in 2017 by President Jovenel Moïse, who was assassinated in 2021.
On the time of its reinstatement, the military had solely a small variety of lively personnel. By 2023, the power had grown to about 2,000 troopers—nonetheless far fewer than the 7,000 troops it had earlier than disbandment. The present dimension of the navy stays unclear.
With the nation’s nationwide police stretched skinny and closely outgunned, the federal government is betting on a revamped navy to assist restore order and reclaim management from violent felony networks which have introduced day by day life in Haiti’s capital to a standstill.
