PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti, CMC – Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé says Haiti will not negotiate with criminal gangs that are seeking to overthrow the provisional government in the French-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country.
“The government’s fight is against gangs. The government’s fight is to secure the country. The state will not compromise. The state will not negotiate with criminals,” Fils-Aimé said as he visited the Haitian National Police (PNH) headquarters in Clercine, which is part of the greater metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince and is known for being close to the airport and experiencing significant gang activity.
The authorities said that Fils-Aimé, who was accompanied the Minister of Justice and Public Security, Patrick Pélissier, the Secretary of State for Public Security, Mario Andrésol; as well as the Acting Director General of the Haitian National Police (PNH) Mario Andrésol; and the High Command of the National Police, noted that the visit on Sunday was intended to reiterate the government’s commitment to restoring public order and republican authority throughout the country.
The statement also noted that the visit was part of the general mobilisation of state security forces, including the PNH, the Armed Forces of Haiti (FAd’H), and the Gang Suppression Force (FRG), which are jointly engaged in an offensive against armed criminal groups that threaten national security.
During the visit, Prime Minister Fils-Aimé expressed the government’s official gratitude to the United States State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) for the donation of 25 armoured personnel carriers intended to strengthen operational capabilities, the protection of deployed units, and the intervention power of law enforcement.
According to the Prime Minister, this strategic equipment will allow law enforcement to gradually retake territories occupied by armed groups and ensure the long-term security of the population.
Prime Minister Fils-Aimé said that restoring security is a prerequisite for a return to constitutional order, reiterating that 2026 will be dedicated to organising general elections and renewing political personnel and republican institutions.
Haiti remains in a severe crisis, dominated by rampant gang violence, political instability, and humanitarian disaster, with gangs using sexual violence to terrorize communities, disrupting food supplies, leading to widespread hunger, displacing over 362,000 people, and overwhelming aid efforts.
UN officials say that security alone won’t fix Haiti; political solutions, elections, and economic support are crucial to achieve lasting stability.
In his end-of-year message, outgoing CARICOM chairman and Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness, said the 15-member regional integration grouping continued its sustained advocacy for increased international support for Haiti.
He said these efforts kept Haiti firmly on the global agenda and contributed to the adoption of a United Nations Security Council Resolution establishing a Gang Suppression Force, supported in part by United Nations funding.
“CARICOM is now a key partner in the tripartite coordination of the Organization of American States’ Roadmap toward Stability and Peace in Haiti, and we look forward with optimism to the preparations for free and fair elections in 2026,” Holness added.
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