Mexico trains 143 Haitian soldiers as Haiti ramps up fight against gangs

SAN MIGUEL DE LOS JAGÜEYES, México — A group of 143 Haitian soldiers completed eight weeks of basic training with the Mexican army Friday as part of a bilateral program to bolster Haiti's security amid escalating gang violence.

The cohort, comprised of 15 women and 128 men, trained in personal defense, marksmanship and human rights, according to officials. At a closing ceremony at the army training center in the state of Mexico north of Mexico City, Lt. Col. Juan Manuel Campos Rodríguez, director of the center, said, "Starting today, you return to your nation with military knowledge and physical and spiritual strength to loyally serve your people and your democratically elected authority."

The Haitian government announced in July that it would send soldiers for training as part of a broader plan to strengthen its security capabilities. Haitian Ambassador to Mexico Hubert Labbe said the graduates’ new skills "substantially improve the capabilities of the Haitian armed forces, allowing them to better serve and protect the Haitian people."

Since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021, gangs have expanded their presence and are believed to control around 90% of Port-au-Prince, with violence spilling into the countryside. A Kenya‑led multinational force is deployed in Haiti, but has yet to quell the violence, and there have been proposals to broaden international support. The United States and Panama recently urged the U.N. Security Council to authorize a 5,550‑member force with the power to detain gang members, with plans to transform the Kenya‑led mission into a larger international effort.

The Haitian soldiers who trained in Mexico expressed gratitude for the support. Accilien Jimmy, one of the graduates, said, "This type of support is essential for the Haitian armed forces to be able to increase their operational capacity and provide security and peace to our nation."

Haiti’s armed forces were disbanded in 1995 following a coup that toppled former President Jean‑Bertrand Aristide. The army was reinstated in 2017 by President Jovenel Moïse after the U.N. ended its peacekeeping operations, a period that left Haiti with limited military capacity as gangs gained ground.