The Special Representative of the Gang Suppression Force (GSF) in Haiti, Jack Christofides, announced on Tuesday, July 28, that the mission was now fully engaged in carrying out its mandate, thus marking a break with the transitional phase that followed the Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS). Christofides was speaking publicly in Haiti for the first time during a Sectoral Roundtable on Security organized by the Center for Analysis and Research in Human Rights (CARDH).

Speaking on the changes brought about by the transition from the MSS to the GSF, Christofides indicated that the international force had now moved beyond the mission-establishment phase to focus on its operations. “We have air assets and will soon have maritime capacity, as well as enhanced intelligence-gathering capabilities,” he said.