The United States has halted its financial support for a United Nations fund aimed at a multinational security mission in Haiti, according to a UN spokesperson on Tuesday. This decision will prevent the release of $13.3 million in aid that was pending.
Stephane Dujarric, the spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, stated that they received an official request from the US to immediately cease contributions to the trust fund for the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission, which is already facing funding challenges under the leadership of Kenya.
In October 2023, the UN Security Council approved the MSS mission to assist Haitian authorities in combating the criminal gangs that have taken control of large areas of the country.
The funding freeze from Washington aligns with newly elected President Donald Trump’s initiative to reduce US foreign aid, which includes efforts to dismantle the operations of the main aid agency, USAID.
In late January, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres cautioned that without increased international support for the security mission, Haiti’s capital could be overwhelmed by gangs.
Guterres emphasized the urgent need for more funding, equipment, and personnel for the international force, warning that any further delays could lead to a “catastrophic” failure of Haiti’s security institutions and potentially allow gangs to seize control of the entire metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince.
Haiti’s Foreign Minister, Jean-Victor Harvel Jean-Baptiste, addressed the UN Security Council, highlighting the “major difficulties” facing the country that threaten not only the population but also the “very survival of the state.”
While the MSS is not a UN force, the organization has established a voluntary fund to support it, which has so far raised $110 million—an amount considered largely inadequate.
Currently, just under 800 of the anticipated 2,500 security personnel have been deployed.
The United States has allocated $15 million to the fund, making it the second-largest contributor after Canada, which donated $63 million. Of this amount, $1.7 million has already been distributed.
In addition to the UN-managed fund, the Biden administration has provided over $300 million in direct support to the MSS, which includes a fleet of armored vehicles.
Haiti is currently without a president or parliament, governed instead by a transitional authority that is grappling with rampant violence from criminal gangs, widespread poverty, and various other issues.
According to the UN, gang-related violence claimed the lives of more than 5,626 individuals in Haiti last year, marking an increase of about a thousand compared to 2023.
The crisis has also led to over a million Haitians being displaced from their homes, a figure that has tripled in just one year.
