UN praises Dominican Republic’s logistical support for security operations in Haiti

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic – Top United Nations leadership overseeing Haiti support operations has lauded the Dominican Republic’s pivotal behind-the-scenes logistical contributions to the international Gang Suppression Force (GSF) deployed to restore order in violence-plagued Haiti, framing the Caribbean nation’s cross-border cooperation as a non-negotiable foundation for successful security missions. The official commendation came from Daniela Kroslak, UN Under-Secretary-General and head of the United Nations Support Office in Haiti (UNSOH), during an official sendoff ceremony held at the Port of Haina, a major maritime hub on the Dominican Republic’s southern coast. The event marked the departure of a heavy-laden cargo vessel carrying 525 tons of critical assets tailored for the GSF, including precision weaponry, armored specialized patrol vehicles, field operation gear, and life-sustaining supply stockpiles. The multi-national coordinated shipment first originated in Bangladesh, with the German government stepping in to cover all associated transportation costs, while Dominican customs and port authorities worked in close alignment with UNSOH teams to streamline clearance, transfer, and final loading processes to eliminate delays that could have undermined mission timelines. During her address, Kroslak emphasized that beyond this single shipment, the Dominican Republic’s ongoing facilitation of personnel movement, equipment staging, and supply transit has created a reliable operational backbone that strengthens not just GSF field activities, but the full scope of UN humanitarian and stabilization programming across Haiti. Representing Dominican Foreign Minister Víctor “Ito” Bisonó, Deputy Foreign Minister Ramón Pérez Fermín used the occasion to reaffirm his nation’s unwavering long-term commitment to collective international efforts to dismantle armed gang networks, reduce civilian casualty rates, and rebuild functional state security institutions in its crisis-stricken eastern neighbor. German Ambassador to the Dominican Republic Maike Friedrichsen also took the stage to celebrate the trilateral partnership, noting that Germany’s financial backing for the shipment is part of a broader sustained European commitment to support Haitian communities trapped by rampant gang violence and political instability.