Additional Chadian soldiers have begun arriving in Haiti to strengthen a United Nations-backed force fighting armed gangs, as the country faces worsening insecurity and prepares for its first general elections in more than a decade.
The first contingent arrived on Friday, with the final group expected to arrive this weekend. Together, the deployments will add 300 troops to the Gang Suppression Force since its operations began in April.
In a post on X, the Gang Suppression Force said the Chadian soldiers are part of its ongoing build-up and deployment.
The international force, backed by the United States and authorized by the UN Security Council, is expected to have 5,500 personnel, most of them military. However, just over 1,000 have so far been deployed, limiting the force’s ability to conduct major operations.
The latest deployment comes as Haiti struggles with worsening gang violence, a humanitarian crisis and preparations for elections scheduled for December 13.
The electoral process has been slowed by delays in voter and political-party registration, revised deadlines and proposed changes to the country’s electoral law.
As of Friday, just over 610,000 people of voting age with national identification cards had registered to vote, out of more than 6.5 million people with the cards. Election officials had set a target of three million registered voters.
Only 28 of the 105 political parties and groupings approved by the Provisional Electoral Council had reached the required threshold of 30,000 registered members.
The electoral council also lacks access to voting centres in at least 23 municipalities across three regions where armed groups continue to control large areas.
The security situation has been further complicated by kidnappings and renewed attacks, while the Gang Suppression Force continues to face delays in receiving troops and equipment.
Equipment required from troop-contributing countries has also faced transportation challenges, with some supplies having to be airlifted at significant cost.
Foreign diplomats and Haitian authorities have called for the deployment to be accelerated and for donor countries to provide additional funding and logistical support.
The force is also approaching a key deadline, with its one-year mandate due to expire on September 30. The United States and Panama are seeking a six-month technical extension to allow more troops to arrive and assess whether changes to the mandate are necessary.
The security situation remains a major concern ahead of the elections.
“In their discussions, all stakeholders underscored the critical importance of ensuring a security environment that will allow for country-wide registration of voters, political campaigning, freedom of movement and for citizens to vote safely,” the Caribbean Community, CARICOM, said after a recent visit to Haiti.
“Deployment of the additional forces and resources pledged by various countries and strategic operational coordination among these and the Haitian security forces are of paramount importance in achieving this objective.”
The United Nations says more than 3,000 Haitians have been killed in violence this year, most of it linked to armed gangs.
The violence has also deepened the humanitarian crisis, with UNICEF, the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Food Programme warning that more than 250,000 children aged between six and 59 months could suffer acute malnutrition between June 2026 and May 2027.
Nearly 94,000 are projected to face severe acute malnutrition.
“Continued violence forces families to flee their homes, and disrupts children’s access to food, healthcare and nutrition treatment,” UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told reporters on Friday.
About 1.5 million people are internally displaced, while nearly half of Haiti’s population of 12 million faces hunger.
Dujarric warned that the humanitarian situation could become critical between December and May, with 29 of Haiti’s 140 municipalities projected to reach critical levels of malnutrition.
“ We need more money, and we need it very, very soon,” Dujarric said.