NDJAMENA, Chad (AFP) — Chad will deploy 1,500 soldiers to Haiti as part of the United Nations (UN) backed security force to help quell ongoing gang violence, the country’s president said Monday.

The poorest country in the Americas, Haiti has for years been plagued by criminal gangs responsible for killings, rapes, looting and kidnappings.

“The state will contribute to this force with two battalions of 750 personnel each, for a total of 1,500 men,” said Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby.

Some 400 Chadian troops are already in Haiti, he added in the statement read to lawmakers by the president of the national assembly.

Chad had already announced last month the deployment of 750 security personnel under the mission, which will now be reinforced by a second battalion of the same size.

The president recalled that Chad regularly took part in international coalitions and peacekeeping missions. He cited operations against the jihadist group Boko Haram as well as Chad’s role in the G5 Sahel.

According to the UN, gangs controlling nearly all the capital of Port-au-Prince have expanded their influence beyond the city in the past year.

The Gang Suppression Force is a multinational security force designed to help Haitian police fight gangs.

The volunteer-based force aims to build up numbers to 5,500 security personnel. Launched in 2023, it replaced a previous multinational mission led by Kenya.