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

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.