The Sustainable Eel Group welcomes the arrival of the first Gang Suppression Force in Haiti as evidence of a renewed and increased international effort to restore law and order, with clear implications for tackling the illegal eel trade. Haiti’s descent into political instability following the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021 has been accompanied by a sharp decline in policing capacity and a worsening humanitarian crisis, creating conditions in which criminal networks have been able to expand and consolidate their influence. In this context, gangs have consolidated control over territory, transport routes, and coastal access points, enabling the diversification of illicit activities, with the export of glass eels emerging as a lucrative income stream alongside drugs, weapons and human trafficking. The GSF, emerging from the under-resourced Multinational Security Support mission and expected to expand to 5,500 personnel, represents a renewed attempt to restore order in a highly complex operational environment.

Of course, enforcement-led interventions are unlikely to produce lasting results unless they also address the entrenched relationships between gangs, political actors, and economic elites that have enabled criminal activity in the country. In recent years, armed militias have evolved from localised instruments of influence into autonomous actors in global distribution networks, controlling strategic land and maritime corridors that underpin specific illegal trades. The trafficking of American and European eels, both high-value and increasingly targeted species, is facilitated through these routes and logistics chains, often alongside other contraband. These operations rely heavily on corruption and cross-border coordination, and past experience suggests that even where the GSF succeeds in disrupting gang control in specific areas, the broader systems sustaining eel trafficking are likely to remain intact without political reform.

The role of the Dominican Republic is central within this regional dynamic, given its shared border with Haiti and its position within Caribbean trafficking routes, yet current responses remain fragmented and insufficiently coordinated. Increasingly, criminal networks exploit gaps in administration, adapting routes and methods in response to enforcement pressure across drug trafficking, arms smuggling, and wildlife crime. Evidence of significant cocaine smuggling, the flow of illicit firearms into Haiti, and systemic corruption within state institutions highlights the scale of the counter-trafficking challenge, because these same pathways are used to move glass eels toward international markets. Without stronger regional cooperation, including improved intelligence sharing, coordinated enforcement strategies, and more effective port and border controls, these interconnected trafficking systems will continue to operate with relative impunity at the expense of both local people and the eel itself. For this reason, it is disappointing to hear that the Dominican Republic has withdrawn its application to list A. rostrata under CITES Appendix III, which would standardise customs declaration requirements.

From the perspective of the Sustainable Eel Group, this moment presents a clear opportunity to integrate the fight against eel trafficking into broader security and governance reforms in Haiti and across the Caribbean. While logistical support for the GSF is an important first step, more comprehensive measures are needed to address corruption, illicit financial flows, and the socio-economic conditions that sustain criminal markets, including those involving endangered eel species. Aligning security interventions with targeted action against wildlife trafficking and stronger protection of aquatic resources would support regional stability. A new standard for the American eel, and, more completely, a listing under CITES Appendix II, would contribute to the long-term sustainability of ecosystems and the livelihoods that depend on them.

As a rule, we need to look towards a more holistic approach to eel management that considers the social, economic, and environmental priorities of stakeholders in different parts of the world. What is happening on the island of Hispaniola is sure to have knock-on effects throughout North America, on illegal supply chains running to East Asia, and on legal markets in Europe, underscoring the interconnected nature of the global eel trade. Without coordinated international action, pressure in one region will simply shift to another, sustaining cycles of overexploitation and crime. Strengthening cooperation, improving traceability, and aligning enforcement with community-based solutions will be essential to ensure that efforts to combat trafficking are both effective and lasting.

For more information, see the Global Initiative website.