U.S. funding for the security mission in Haiti, which is commanded by Kenya, has been suspended

The United Nations said Tuesday that the United States has informed it that it is suspending some funds for a mission supported by the UN that is charged with combating gangs attempting to retake the capital, Port-au-Prince. The Kenyan police-led operation, which was started last year and is having financial difficulties, has received the largest contribution from the US. 

A UN spokeswoman announced on Tuesday that the United States has suspended its financial contributions to a United Nations fund for a multinational security assistance operation in Haiti, halting $13.3 million in unpaid help.

In reference to the already underfunded Kenya-led force, UN secretary-general Stephane Dujarric stated, “We received an official notification from the US asking for an immediate stop work order on their contribution” to the trust fund for the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission.

In October 2023, the Multinational Security Support (MSS) operation was approved by the UN Security Council to help Haiti’s government combat criminal gangs that dominate large areas of the country.

Washington’s financial suspension coincides with efforts by newly elected President Donald Trump to reduce US help abroad, which has included attempts to shut down USAID, the government’s primary aid organization.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a warning in late January that if the international community does not increase funding to the security operation, gangs might take over Haiti’s capital.

“Any further delays risk the “catastrophic” collapse of Haiti’s security institutions and “may allow gangs to overrun the whole metropolitan area” of the capital Port-au-Prince,” Guterres stated, adding that the international force needs more funding, equipment, and troops.

Jean-Victor Harvel, the foreign minister of Haiti Speaking at a UN Security Council meeting, Jean-Baptiste said that the nation was facing “major difficulties” that threatened not just the populace but also “the very survival of the state.”

Although the MSS is not a UN force, it is funded by a voluntary fund established by the UN, which has raised $110 million so far—a sum that has been considered completely inadequate.

Out of the 2,500 security people that were intended for, little around 800 have been deployed.

With $1.7 million already disbursed, the United States has contributed $15 million to the fund, the second-largest donation behind Canada’s $63 million.

The United States, under Joe Biden at the time, had given the MSS more than $300 million in cash and equipment, including dozens of armored vehicles, in addition to the UN-hosted fund.

Haiti is now governed by a transitional government that is battling to control excessive violence associated with criminal gangs, poverty, and other issues. The country does not officially have a president or parliament.

According to the UN, gang violence claimed the lives of around 5,626 individuals in Haiti last year, which is almost a thousand more than in 2023.

Three times as many Haitians as there were a year ago have been forced to leave their homes, numbering over a million.