Mexican army trains 143 Haitian soldiers as the Caribbean nation ramps up fight against gangs

SAN MIGUEL DE LOS JAGÜEYES, México (AP) — A group of 143 Haitian soldiers on Friday finished military training by the Mexican army as part of a bilateral agreement as Haiti looks to revive its armed forces amid escalating violence in the Caribbean nation, where gangs have taken control of most of its capital.

For eight weeks, 15 women and 128 men were part of a basic military training where they practiced personal defense and shooting and learned about human rights. Now they are heading to their country.

“Starting today, you return to your nation with military knowledge and physical and spiritual strength to loyally serve your people and your democratically elected authority,” said lieutenant colonel Juan Manuel Campos Rodríguez, director of the army's training center, at a closing ceremony in a military camp in the state of Mexico, north of Mexico's capital.

The Haitian government announced in July it was sending soldiers for training as part of a plan to strengthen its security capabilities.

“The skills acquired by the graduating class substantially improve the capabilities of the Haitian armed forces, allowing them to better serve and protect the Haitian people,” said the Haitian ambassador to Mexico, Hubert Labbe.

Since the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse in 2021, gangs have increased their presence and it's estimated they now control around 90% of the capital, Port-au-Prince. Their criminal activities and violence have extended to the countryside.

A Kenya-led multinational force is currently deployed in Haiti, but it has not contained the violence, and there have been some recent proposals to increase the international support.

A few days ago, the United States and Panama urged the U.N. Security Council to authorize a 5,550-member force with the power to detain gang members in Haiti. The plan would be to transform the Kenya-led force into a much larger force.

The Haitian soldiers trained in Mexico thanked the support.

“This type of support is essential for the Haitian armed forces to be able to increase their operational capacity and provide security and peace to our nation,” said Haitian soldier Accilien Jimmy.

Haiti’s armed forces were disbanded in 1995 following a coup to oust former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

The army was reinstated in 2017 by slain President Moïse after the U.N. ended its peacekeeping operations.

Haitian soldiers perform during a closing ceremony marking their military training provided by the Mexican Army, in San Miguel de los Jagueyes, Mexico, Friday, Sept. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

Haitian soldiers perform during a closing ceremony at the end of their military training provided by the Mexican Army, in San Miguel de los Jagueyes, Mexico, Friday, Sept. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

Haitian soldiers attend a closing ceremony at the end of their military training provided by the Mexican Army, in San Miguel de los Jagueyes, Mexico, Friday, Sept. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

MADRID (AP) — A high-speed train derailed, jumped onto the track in the opposite direction and slammed into an oncoming train Sunday in southern Spain, killing at least 20 people and injuring dozens more, officials said.

The evening train between Malaga and Madrid went off the rails near Córdoba and slammed into a train coming from Madrid to Huelva, another southern Spanish city, according to rail operator Adif. The two trains were carrying around 500 passengers, according to media reports.

Antonio Sanz, regional health minister for the Andalusia region where the crash happened, said officials told him that there are over 20 dead and they fear the death toll may rise further.

Rescue operations are ongoing, he said, adding that 73 injured passengers have been taken to six different hospitals.

He said at least one passenger carriage had rolled down a four-meter (13-foot) slope.

Francisco Carmona, the firefighter chief of Cordoba, told Spanish national radio RNE that one of the trains was badly mangled, with at least four wagons off the rails.

The situation at the crash site “is very serious,” Sanz said. “We have a very difficult night ahead.”

The regional Civil Protection chief, María Belén Moya Rojas, told Canal Sur the accident happened in an area that is hard to reach.

Local people were taking blankets and water to the scene to help the victims, she said.

High-speed trains, running on an extensive national network, are a popular way to travel in Spain.

Spain’s military emergency relief units joined the deployment of other rescue units. The Red Cross also provided support to healthcare officials.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a post on X that she was following “the terrible news” from Cordoba.

“Tonight you are in my thoughts,” she wrote in Spanish.

ADIF said train services between Madrid and cities in Andalucia would not run Monday.

Wilson contributed to this report from Barcelona, Spain.

Passengers wait in the hall of Madrid train station on Sunday, January 18, 2026, following the announcement of the suspension of service due to an accident in which two trains derailed in Cordoba. ( Carlos Luján/Europa Press via AP)