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In a move to bolster its national security, Haiti has sent 150 troops to Mexico for military training, the government said on Friday. The action is part of a wider bilateral accord to restore the Haitian Armed Forces and fight the widespread gang violence engulfing much of the capital.
The deal with Mexico will have 700 Haitian soldiers receive training, as the Caribbean state aims to rebuild a well-disciplined military presence to re-impose order and bolster state power.
“This departure is a historic moment in the reconstruction of the Haitian Armed Forces,” the Haitian government declared. “It is an important element of the administration’s plan for enhancing national security and exerting control throughout the nation.”
The training program, lasting three months, is designed to prepare soldiers for joint operations with Haiti’s National Police, particularly in efforts to counter powerful armed gangs. These newly trained troops will also work alongside Kenyan police forces who recently arrived to support a UN-backed security mission that remains critically underfunded.
Haiti has been beset by rising gang violence, with the United Nations documenting more than 4,800 deaths between October 2024 and June 2025. Sexual violence, kidnappings, and human trafficking have also increased during this time.
Earlier this month in July, Haiti deployed 30 troops to Martinique for a different two-week military training course, signaling a wider international cooperation in its rebuilding of its military.
The military was dissolved in 1995 after being involved in several coups and accused of serious human rights abuses. The force was reconstituted in 2017 by late President Jovenel Moise after UN peacekeepers pulled out.
Even though the army had barely 2,000 troops in 2023 down from an old strength of 7,000 the new attempt represents an energetic effort to construct a more powerful and responsible defense force.
