• Chad will deploy 1,500 troops to Haiti for a 12-month UN-backed mission.
• First contingent of 400 troops has already been deployed.
• Deployment follows Kenya’s withdrawal and escalating insecurity in Haiti.

Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno has announced the deployment of 1,500 troops from Chad’s defense and security forces to Haiti to help restore security, as part of a multinational anti-gang mission.

The president made the announcement on Monday, April 20, in a statement addressed to the lower house of Parliament and read by National Assembly President Ali Kolotou Tchaïmi. He stated that the mission will last 12 months starting in April 2026. The authorities will divide the troops into two battalions of 750 personnel each. A first contingent of 400 soldiers has already been deployed on the ground.

The mission forms part of the multinational security force established under a United Nations Security Council resolution to combat gang violence in Haiti.

“Chad’s commitment reflects international solidarity and assistance to a brotherly country whose existence is threatened by lawless gangs,” the statement said.

The president highlighted Chad’s previous interventions in peacekeeping and counterterrorism operations. He cited operations against Boko Haram in the Lake Chad Basin through the Multinational Joint Task Force, as well as participation in peacekeeping missions in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Côte d’Ivoire and Mali.

The announcement confirms earlier remarks made by a senior Chadian police official to Reuters in March. The official said that more than 800 gendarmes would join a mission in Haiti in June 2026 after completing training provided by “European and American partners.”

The deployment comes as Haiti faces a deepening security crisis. The situation has deteriorated steadily since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021.

The country remains without stable political leadership. State institutions have weakened, and gangs have expanded their control over large parts of the territory.

At the same time, Chad faces its own fragile security environment. Regional conflicts, particularly along the Sudanese border, have intensified instability. Authorities recently reported that a drone attack killed at least 17 civilians and injured several others.

In October 2023, the United Nations Security Council authorized the deployment of an international security mission to support the Haitian National Police in curbing gang violence and restoring order.

Chad becomes the second African country to contribute troops to the mission after Kenya. Kenya announced on Monday, April 20, that it had completed the withdrawal of its forces.

Lydie Mobio