Powerful gangs, armed with weapons largely trafficked from the United States, have united in the Caribbean country's capital Port-au-Prince under a common alliance and now control most of the city and are expanding to nearby areas.
The international security mission, while approved by the UN Security Council, is not a United Nations operation and currently relies on voluntary contributions. The mission has so far made little progress toward helping Haiti restore order.
There are around nearly 900 police and troops from Kenya, El Salvador, Jamaica, Guatemala and Belize. As at the end of 2024. US$110.3 million had been pledged by several countries, including the USA, Canada, France, Turkey, Spain, Italy, and Algeria.
$85 million had been received by the Trust Fund, including substantial amounts from the United States.
"The US had committed $15 million to the trust fund, $1.7 million of that had already been spent, so $13.3 million is now frozen," UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters. "We received an official notification from the U.S. asking for an immediate stop work order on their contribution."
Just hours after taking office on January 20, Trump ordered a 90-day pause so foreign aid contributions could be reviewed to see if they align with his "America First" foreign policy.
Trump has said that he thinks he will wind down the US Agency for International Development, in what would be a dramatic overhaul of how the world's largest single donor allocates foreign assistance.
Meanwhile, Government Spokesperson, Dr. Isaac Mwaura has dismissed claims that the US funding freeze for the Haiti Multi-National Security Support mission (MSS) will jeopardize the operations as false and lack any factual basis.
The MSS mission is supported by the UN Trust Fund for Haiti, established under United Nations Security Council Resolution 2699 in October 2023.
'While a portion of the undisbursed US contribution amounting to $15 million has been temporarily held due to the US presidential directive, the Fund remains well-resourced to support the mission until the end of September 2025,' Mwaura said in a statement.
According to him, Kenya and its partners remain fully committed to ensuring the mission transitions to a full UN-led operation to guarantee its long-term financial sustainability and security mandate.
Sam K Nkurunziza
Source : https://en.igihe.com/news/article/washington-freezes-funding-for-kenya-led-security-mission-in-haiti
