On the sidelines of a high-stakes United Nations Security Council session focused on the worsening crisis in Haiti, senior diplomatic officials from the Dominican Republic and Haiti’s transitional security mission gathered this Tuesday to advance coordination on a landmark effort to curb gang violence across the border. Dominican Foreign Minister Roberto Álvarez sat down with Jack Christofides, the special representative leading Haiti’s newly established Gang Suppression Force (GSF), for a working meeting centered on the mission’s ongoing deployment and critical capacity-building initiatives.
According to an official statement released by the Dominican Foreign Ministry following the closed-door discussion, Christofides provided a comprehensive update to Álvarez on the GSF’s institutional development progress. This included a breakdown of work to establish the mission’s core command framework, strategic planning mechanisms, and inter-agency coordination structures that will underpin all field operations. Christofides also confirmed that the GSF has already launched its first targeted operations, moving to dismantle criminal gang strongholds and infrastructure across gang-controlled areas of Haiti.
Beyond reviewing current progress, the two officials delved into actionable next steps designed to boost the GSF’s operational effectiveness. As Haiti’s immediate neighbor, the Dominican Republic has a direct stake in stabilizing the security situation, as widespread violence and displacement in Haiti has spilled across the border in recent years, creating humanitarian and security challenges for Dominican communities. The talks closed with a renewed focus on aligning efforts to support the broader goal of restoring lasting public security to Haiti, a priority that has gained growing international attention through the United Nations’ ongoing engagement with the crisis.