UN official Indrika Ratwatte announced that approximately 200 thousand Haitians had been forcibly returned to the country in the first 8 months of the year, and that this figure had increased by at least 20 thousand compared with the same period last year. Carlos Ruiz, head of the UN office in Haiti, called on the international community to provide support, stating that holding elections without ensuring security would not be meaningful.
The Kenya-led Multinational Security Support Mission is assisting the Haitian police and army; the mission is planned to reach 5 thousand 500 troops in the autumn. While at least 70% of the capital is believed to be under gang control, conflicts in the country have led to the deaths of more than 21 thousand people since 2022.
Why it matters
The increase in forced returns shows that Haiti’s security crisis has reached a dimension that extends beyond the country’s borders and directly affects migration policies. While the extensive gang control in the capital leaves open the question of whether returnees will be able to find a safe environment, it also makes the scope of international protection decisions critical. The assessment that holding elections without ensuring security would not be meaningful indicates that the political timetable alone will not produce a solution. Whether the Kenya-led mission can reach its planned troop level will be decisive in terms of the impact of the support provided to the Haitian police and army on the ground. For this reason, the development brings both return policies and the international community’s responsibility for security to the agenda.