Against the backdrop of Haiti’s ongoing, years-long struggle with rampant gang violence and persistent national security instability, a high-profile televised interview has laid out a clear, ambitious government strategy to rebuild the country’s armed forces as a core solution to the nation’s crises. The conversation, organized as part of public outreach initiative “Wi, Ayiti Nou Kapab”, brought together Xavier Michon, the resident representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Haiti, and Haiti’s Defense Minister Mario Andrésol to discuss the future of the Armed Forces of Haiti (FAd’H), national sovereignty and security sector reform.
Andrésol, a seasoned former military commander who previously led the Haitian National Police (PNH), framed the decades-long security challenges facing the Caribbean nation as directly tied to the 1995 dissolution of the original Haitian army. In his remarks, he argued that disbanding the force created a critical national security vacuum that allowed violent armed gangs to expand their territorial control across the country, while also leaving Haiti overly reliant on foreign military support to address domestic instability. Reconstructing a functional, professional FAd’H, he emphasized, is not just an institutional priority — it is a long-term, sustainable fix for the security crisis that has paralyzed Haitian governance and daily life for years.
Under the current framework, the newly reconstituted FAd’H is already playing a supporting role alongside the Haitian National Police in ongoing counter-gang operations, working to dislodge criminal groups from occupied territory. Moving forward, Andrésol laid out a clear division of long-term responsibilities: the armed forces will take ownership of full territorial security and reconquest of gang-held land, while the national police will refocus its core mission on maintaining day-to-day public order across communities.
To turn this vision into action, the Haitian Ministry of Defense is rolling out a series of concrete initiatives to boost the FAd’H’s operational capacity. The centerpiece of these efforts is a nationwide recruitment drive that aims to grow the force’s current roster of 2,000 active soldiers to 5,000 by the end of 2026. The campaign, which will reach all 10 of Haiti’s administrative departments, is prioritizing candidates who demonstrate strong community engagement, a clear sense of national duty, and commitment to social solidarity, alongside traditional military qualifications. Alongside expanding personnel, the government is also working to rehabilitate crumbling, outdated military infrastructure across the country to support expanded operations.
In closing, Andrésol stressed that the end goal of reconstruction is to build a modern, professional, republican army that operates fully under civilian oversight and upholds international human rights standards. Beyond security, he added, the future FAd’H will also play an active role in advancing national development projects, including public infrastructure construction, large-scale reforestation initiatives, and support for small-scale agricultural production across rural Haiti.