Mike Baker

Since the beginning of this year alone, more than 2,300 people have been killed in gang-related violence, nearly 100 have been kidnapped, and more than 1,100 have been injured.

Gang violence has already forced roughly 1.5 million Haitians from their homes, and millions more now depend on humanitarian assistance as poverty deepens across the country.

Meanwhile, Haiti has not had an elected president since President Jovenel Moise was assassinated in 2021, leaving political instability, economic hardship, and gang violence to feed off one another in a cycle that has steadily weakened the state.

So how is this new mission different from the ones that came before it?

The Security Council approved the GSF last September at the urging of the U.S.

after concerns grew that the previous multinational mission to support the Haitian police lacked the manpower, the funding, and the mandate needed to confront gangs.

The new force is expected to gradually replace that mission and eventually grow to roughly 5,500 troops and police officers deployed in phases, making it one of the largest international security efforts sent to Haiti in years.

According to the GSF commander, "...the objective is to degrade the operational capacity of gangs to a level that Haitian institutions can sustainably manage."

But officials know military operations alone won't be enough.

The mission is also receiving logistical, operational, and technical support through the newly established UN Support Office in Haiti, helping to provide transport and medical care and rations to sustain operations.

Meanwhile, officials hope to attack the gang's support networks by disrupting the flow of weapons and ammunition and money that allow these organizations to function.

That means greater scrutiny of border crossings, maritime smuggling routes, and the financial pipelines that continue supplying armed groups.

Guterres acknowledged the complexity of the problem during his visit, stressing that, quote, Now that may ultimately be the biggest challenge for Haiti.

All right.

Coming up in the back of the brief, Britain is investigating reports that a Russian warship fired warning shots near a civilian yacht in the English Channel.

More on that when we come back.

Hey, Mike Baker here with a little bit of a message about your health, right?

And I'm specifically talking about lymphatic drainage.

You didn't see that coming, did you?

Look, everyone is talking about lymphatic drainage lately.