Haiti Presses UN for Support as Elections Near

Haiti’s foreign minister, Raina Forbin, urged the UN Security Council on Monday to maintain support for the Caribbean nation as it prepares for “free, credible, and participatory” elections – its first since 2016. President Jovenel Moïse’s 2021 assassination unleashed gang rule over much of Port-au-Prince, leaving 12 million Haitians without an elected leader.

Forbin said seven of ten departments are secure enough for voting; the rest need the UN-backed Gang Suppression Force (5,550 troops) to clear the way. She noted that 2,000 new police have been trained since January, with 4,000 more expected by year-end, and that voter registration is already underway.

She also cited camp closures, judicial reforms, and a shift from relief to long-term economic programs. “The momentum is genuine,” she said, warning against wavering. The Security Council now faces pressure to renew the mission’s mandate – and decide whether Haiti’s fragile gains can hold without foreign boots on the ground.