Haiti sends 150 soldiers to Mexico for training as gang violence surges

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PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haiti’s government announced Friday that it has sent 150 soldiers to Mexico for training in the latest effort to fight back gangs that have gained almost entire control of the troubled country’s capital.

Under the agreement between the two countries, a total of 700 soldiers are to be trained in Mexico as Haiti seeks to revive its military.

“This departure marks a historic milestone in the reconstruction of the Haitian Armed Forces and is part of a policy of strengthening national security capabilities,” Haiti’s government said. “It illustrates the government’s firm determination to restore … state authority throughout the country.”

From October 2024 to June 2025, more than 4,800 people across Haiti were killed by gang violence. Hundreds more have been injured, kidnapped, raped and trafficked, according to the United Nations.

The Haitian soldiers will spend three months in Mexico. Upon their return, they will join Haiti’s National Police in its fight against gangs, bolstered by Kenyan police officers leading a sparsely funded U.N.-backed mission.

Earlier this month, about 30 Haitian soldiers were sent to the French Caribbean island of Martinique for a two-week training.

Haiti’s armed forces were disbanded in 1995 following a coup to oust former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. The once-feared army had long been accused of horrific human rights abuses and were involved in several coups.

In 2017, the army was reinstated by slain President Jovenel Moïse after the U.N. ended its peacekeeping operations.

In recent years, the army has been recruiting young people to bolster its numbers. In 2023, there were roughly 2,000 soldiers, compared with some 7,000 when the army was disbanded. Newer figures were not available.