Conflict catalog

2022 Haitian Gang Conflict: Weapons and Equipment

The current phase of Haiti's gang conflict, centered on armed groups contesting state control, infrastructure, transport routes, and neighborhoods while Haitian government security forces and international support missions attempt to restore security.

The 2022 Haitian Gang Conflict catalog covers the post-2022 escalation in which armed gangs, especially coalitions operating around Port-au-Prince, contest state control of neighborhoods, roads, ports, and public institutions. Catalog coverage centers on security-force mobility, small arms, protective vehicles, foreign evacuation and support assets, and externally supplied equipment that can be tied to a direct source.

This catalog tracks weapon systems and security equipment documented in Haiti's current gang conflict.

Entries focus on directly sourced equipment used by Haitian security forces, international mission personnel, or armed groups where the conflict side can be represented clearly.

14 weapon systems

Conflict Actors

Haitian government and security forces / Armed gangs / Foreign evacuation and support forces

Armed gangs

11 weapon systems in this catalog

Foreign evacuation and support forces

1 weapon system in this catalog
  • Foreign evacuation and support forces

Context

Status
Published catalog
Location
Port-au-Prince metropolitan area, with spillover into Artibonite and central Haiti
Countries
Haiti
Regions
Port-au-Prince, Ouest Department, Artibonite Department, Central Haiti
Domains
land, urban operations, protected mobility, small arms, border and port security, logistics

The conflict is shaped by urban and peri-urban security operations, gang checkpoints, attacks on police facilities and infrastructure, evacuation and protection missions, and arms trafficking into a country that does not manufacture the weapons gangs use. Catalog entries should distinguish Haitian police and armed-forces equipment, MSS or successor mission equipment, foreign evacuation and support assets, and gang-held weapons only when direct sources identify the system and side.

Map

Port-au-Prince metropolitan area, with spillover into Artibonite and central Haiti

Open map

Map data from OpenStreetMap contributors.

Timeline

Key Events

  1. Current archive phase begins

    UNODC uses January 2022 as the marker for the current security crisis period, describing gangs expanding territorial and infrastructure control while trafficked firearms increase their firepower.

    Sources: Organized Crime and Gang Violence in Haiti

  2. Security Council authorizes the MSS mission

    UN Security Council Resolution 2699 authorized member states to form and deploy a Multinational Security Support mission to support the Haitian National Police.

    Sources: Resolution 2699 (2023)

  3. Viv Ansanm reactivates as a common front

    The UN Security Council sanctions narrative says the G9 and G-Pep coalitions reactivated Viv Ansanm to oppose the transition government, followed by coordinated attacks on government buildings and critical infrastructure.

    Sources: Viv Ansanm Sanctions Narrative Summary

  4. International mission deployment begins

    The first MSS contingent arrived in Haiti in June 2024, beginning joint security activity with Haitian police and later using U.S.-provided MRAPs for operations in areas affected by gang violence.

    Sources: Department of Defense to Deliver Additional MRAPs, Turrets for the MSS Mission in Haiti

  5. Security Council authorizes Gang Suppression Force transition

    UN Security Council Resolution 2793 authorized the transition from the MSS mission to a Gang Suppression Force and established a UN support office for Haiti.

    Sources: Resolution 2793 (2025)

Phases

Jan 1, 2022 - Oct 1, 2023

Post-2022 gang expansion and state-security crisis

Gangs expanded territorial control, checkpoint taxation, and access-route dominance while the Haitian National Police faced a widening security and resource gap.

Oct 2, 2023 - Sep 29, 2025

MSS authorization and Viv Ansanm escalation

The UN authorized the Kenya-led MSS mission, while Viv Ansanm and allied gangs mounted coordinated attacks on prisons, government sites, the airport, and police units.

Sep 30, 2025 - present

Gang Suppression Force transition

The Security Council authorized a transition to a Gang Suppression Force, making external support, protected mobility, logistics, and Haitian-led security operations central to the equipment record.

External Support

External support is central to the catalog because the UN-authorized MSS mission, later transition to the Gang Suppression Force, U.S. logistical support, and foreign evacuation missions brought outside equipment into the conflict environment. SOUTHCOM documented U.S.-provided MaxxPro MRAPs and turrets transferred to Kenyan MSS personnel for joint operations supporting the Haitian National Police; French Navy reporting also places French naval assets in Operation Pauline, the March 2024 evacuation and voluntary-departure operation from Haiti.

Images

U.S.-provided MRAP vehicles lined up in Port-au-Prince for transfer to MSS personnel
Mine-resistant ambush protected vehicles delivered to Port-au-Prince in July 2024 for transfer to Kenyan MSS personnel supporting Haitian National Police operations.U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Mitchell Corley via DVIDS | Public domainSource: U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Mitchell Corley via DVIDS

Weapons

2022 Haitian Gang Conflict Weapon Systems

Category

Armored Vehicles

Troop carriers, infantry fighting vehicles, and protected mobility.

2/2
International MaxxPro, Mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicle family, Armored VehiclesArmored VehiclesInternational MaxxProMine-resistant ambush-protected vehicle familySide: Haitian government and security forcesRole: Protected mobility for joint security operationsBuilt: Navistar Defense / United StatesNavistar's MaxxPro is a U.S.-built MRAP family that began with the M1224 and expanded into Dash, LWB, MRV-P, and ambulance variants. Its V-shaped armored capsule has been fielded for protected mobility, route clearance, recovery, and medevac tasks in Afghanistan, Iraq, Ukraine, Haiti, and Yemen.
Roshel Senator, Wheeled armored personnel carrier and MRAP family, Armored VehiclesArmored VehiclesRoshel SenatorWheeled armored personnel carrier and MRAP familySide: Haitian government and security forcesRole: Protected mobility for counter-gang security operationsBuilt: Roshel / CanadaThe Roshel Senator is a Canadian 4x4 protected mobility vehicle family built by Roshel, spanning APC, MRAP, pickup, EOD, emergency-response, and medical-evacuation configurations. Ukraine fields Senator APC and MRAP variants for protected movement, border-security, and mine-threat work in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War, while Haiti has fielded Senator RAM MRAP vehicles for counter-gang security operations.

Category

Infantry Weapons

Portable weapons used by soldiers and small units.

8/11
AR-15-pattern rifle, 5.56 mm self-loading rifle platform, Infantry WeaponsInfantry WeaponsAR-15-pattern rifle5.56 mm self-loading rifle platformSide: Armed gangsRole: Gang rifle armament for urban attacks and territorial controlBuilt: ArmaLite / Colt / Various manufacturers / United States and multiple countriesThe AR-15-pattern rifle is a lightweight, modular self-loading rifle family derived from the ArmaLite and Colt AR-15 lineage. Cataloged conflict evidence ranges from AR-type rifles captured from IS-aligned fighters in Marawi to U.S. and Ukrainian AR-style rifles supplied or fielded during the Russia-Ukraine War.
FN FAL, 7.62 mm battle rifle, Infantry WeaponsInfantry WeaponsFN FAL7.62 mm battle rifleSide: Armed gangsRole: Gang-held battle rifle for armed attacksBuilt: FN Herstal / Various manufacturers / Belgium; licensed production in multiple countriesThe FN FAL is a Belgian 7.62 x 51 mm NATO battle rifle designed at Fabrique Nationale after World War II and adopted or license-produced across many Cold War armies. The cataloged record spans state service, licensed Commonwealth and Argentine derivatives, and later illicit or captured rifles documented in conflicts from the Falklands to Marawi, Boko Haram operations, Haiti, and the Islamic State fight.
M60 general-purpose machine gun, 7.62 mm general-purpose machine gun, Infantry WeaponsInfantry WeaponsM60 general-purpose machine gun7.62 mm general-purpose machine gunSide: Armed gangsRole: Illicit heavy machine-gun firepowerBuilt: Saco Defense / Maremont / U.S. Ordnance / United StatesThe M60 is a U.S.-origin 7.62x51 mm NATO belt-fed general-purpose machine gun built for ground, tripod, vehicle, and aircraft-mounted fire support. U.S. records document M60 use from Vietnam through Iraq and Afghanistan, while later conflict reporting shows legacy guns turning up with non-state armed groups in Nigeria, Colombia, and Haiti.
Beretta BM59 rifle, Battle rifle, Infantry WeaponsInfantry WeaponsBeretta BM59 rifleBattle rifleSide: Armed gangsRole: Individual small armBuilt: Beretta / PT Pindad / Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria / Italy / Indonesia / NigeriaThe Beretta BM59 is an Italian selective-fire battle rifle that converted the M1 Garand architecture into a 7.62x51mm NATO, detachable-magazine service rifle. Beretta built the core Italian family, while licensed or locally produced patterns appeared in Indonesia and Nigeria. Direct conflict-use sourcing ties BM59-family rifles to Argentine small arms in the 1982 Falklands War and to criminal-gang firearms in Haiti's current gang conflict.
.308-caliber precision rifle, Bolt-action or semi-automatic precision rifle class, Infantry WeaponsInfantry Weapons.308-caliber precision rifleBolt-action or semi-automatic precision rifle classSide: Armed gangsRole: Trafficked and recovered rifle classBuilt: Various manufacturers / United States / Various.308-caliber precision rifles are scoped small arms chambered in .308 Winchester, 7.62x51mm NATO, or closely related .30-caliber service cartridges, depending on the model and markings. The class spans law-enforcement, military, sporting, and long-range precision roles. In the 2022 Haitian Gang Conflict entry, the sourcing supports illicit trafficking of .308 rifles into Haiti and gang-linked demand for higher-powered rifles, but it does not identify a specific model or prove a documented firing incident.
Handgun/pistol, Handheld small arm / sidearm, Infantry WeaponsInfantry WeaponsHandgun/pistolHandheld small arm / sidearmSide: Armed gangsRole: Concealable gang firearm for close-range violence and intimidationBuilt: Various manufacturers / Multiple countriesHandguns and pistols are compact small arms designed for one-handed or close-range use, including semi-automatic pistols fed from magazines and revolvers fed from rotating cylinders. Conflict sources sometimes identify only model-unspecified pistols or handguns, including FARC dissident seizures in Colombia, gang arsenals in Haiti, and handgun use by warring forces in Sudan.
AK-47/AKM rifle family, Selective-fire assault rifle family, Infantry WeaponsInfantry WeaponsAK-47/AKM rifle familySelective-fire assault rifle familySide: Armed gangsRole: Gang infantry fireBuilt: Various manufacturers / Soviet Union / Russia / China / multiple countriesAK-47/AKM-family rifles are Kalashnikov-pattern small arms derived from the Soviet AK-47 and 1959 AKM modernization, usually chambered in 7.62 x 39 mm. In the post-2015 catalog they appear with FARC dissidents in Colombia, gangs in Haiti, PKK fighters, GNA scouts in Libya, insurgents in Mali, Islamic State forces in Iraq and Syria, militants in Sinai, RSF units in Sudan, Hamas fighters in Gaza, Taliban fighters in Afghanistan, Boko Haram-linked militants in the Lake Chad basin, and Houthi-linked supply chains in Yemen.
3 remaining

Category

Naval Systems

Warships, submarines, unmanned surface vessels, naval craft, and maritime combat systems.

1/1
Confiance-class patrol vessel, Offshore patrol vessel class, Naval SystemsNaval SystemsConfiance-class patrol vesselOffshore patrol vessel classSide: Foreign evacuation and support forcesRole: UnknownBuilt: Socarenam / FranceThe Confiance-class patrol vessel is a French Navy offshore patrol vessel class built by Socarenam from MAURIC designs for overseas sovereignty patrols in Guyane and the Antilles. The three 61-meter PAG ships combine a 20 mm remote weapon station, heavy machine guns, fast craft, navigation sensors, and pollution-response capacity for EEZ surveillance, fisheries policing, anti-trafficking, space-launch security, and crisis-response missions.

Conflict Sources

The catalog uses broad conflict-local sides for Haitian security forces, armed gangs, and foreign evacuation or support forces. International MSS, Gang Suppression Force, and evacuation assets should be attached only when direct sources identify the specific system, mission, transfer, or field use.

  • Organized Crime and Gang Violence in HaitiPublisher: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime | Note: Supports the current conflict context, January 2022 archive marker, gang territorial control, arms-trafficking context, and the Port-au-Prince-centered geography. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • Restoring Dignity: A Global Call to End the Violence in HaitiPublisher: Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights | Note: Supports the human-rights and firearms context, including armed gangs outgunning police forces and the need to equip the Haitian National Police. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • Viv Ansanm Sanctions Narrative SummaryPublisher: United Nations Security Council | Note: Supports Viv Ansanm coalition formation, 2024 reactivation, and coordinated attacks on critical infrastructure and Haitian state institutions. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • Resolution 2699 (2023)Publisher: United Nations Digital Library | Note: Supports authorization of the Multinational Security Support mission in Haiti for an initial 12-month period. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • Resolution 2793 (2025)Publisher: United Nations Digital Library | Note: Supports authorization of the Gang Suppression Force transition and establishment of the UN Support Office in Haiti. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • Department of Defense to Deliver Additional MRAPs, Turrets for the MSS Mission in HaitiPublisher: Defense Visual Information Distribution Service | Note: Supports the public-domain image, MRAP delivery context, MSS support to Haitian National Police operations, and U.S. security-support equipment details. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • Prises de commandement 2026, semaine 28Publisher: Ministère des Armées / Marine nationale | Note: Supports Operation Pauline as a Haiti evacuation and voluntary-departure operation, including La Combattante's protection role and the gang-fire context described for the wider operation. | Accessed: 2026-07-03