2026-02-16

The 5th meeting of the Sectoral Security Table convened with a focus on advancing the Gang Repression Force operational planning from conceptual frameworks to concrete deployment preparations. The SST agenda addressed progress of national security forces, establishment of the GSF, preparation for the upcoming SST Conference, institutional strengthening, operational coordination, Concept of Operations development, legal framework, role of the National Security Council, and human rights compliance in operations. This represents a significant operational development indicating the GSF planning process is moving beyond preliminary stages toward executable deployment frameworks. The Concept of Operations development is a critical prerequisite for the anticipated April 2026 troop arrivals. GSF force structure includes an authorized personnel ceiling of 5,550 covering police, military, and civilian components. Pledges of up to 7,500 troops have been received from Burkina Faso, Burundi, Chad, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, and Bangladesh. GSF Special Representative Jack Christofides and Force Commander Godfrey Otunge from Kenya will lead the mission. The force currently relies on approximately 1,000 MSS personnel, primarily 735 Kenyan police officers, though Kenya announced a drawdown after achieving its primary objective of stabilizing the country. The 5th SST's explicit focus on human rights compliance in operations represents a positive signal for accountability frameworks. This attention to human rights standards becomes particularly important given the context of PNH drone operations between March-September 2025, which killed 547 people including 527 suspected gang members and 20 civilians including 11 children. UN Human Rights Commissioner Volker Türk assessed most drone strikes as likely unlawful under international human rights law. The SST's institutional strengthening agenda suggests efforts to establish legal and operational frameworks that can withstand international scrutiny. The operational timeline creates compressed decision windows. GSF troops are expected to begin arriving in April 2026 with full deployment by October 2026. However, the electoral campaign period begins May 19, 2026, meaning campaigning would start before the force has launched major anti-gang operations in the 23 gang-controlled communes across four February 16, 2026 departments. First round elections are scheduled for August 30, 2026, when GSF would still be in mid-deployment. The BINUH mandate was extended to January 31, 2027 via Resolution 2814, with the Secretary-General requested to report within 90 days on options for a Haitian-led Disarmament, Dismantlement, and Reintegration program, establishing a late April deadline for DDR planning.