The United States has announced plans to establish a larger security force in Haiti, just days before the mandate of Kenya’s Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission expires on October 2.
Speaking on Monday during a high-level meeting on Haiti hosted jointly by Kenya and the US on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau confirmed that Washington had initiated efforts for a stronger international mission.
According to Landau, the US, alongside Panama, worked with Haiti to introduce a UN Security Council resolution that seeks to establish a gang-suppression force with a broader mandate. The resolution also proposes the creation of a UN support office for Haiti to sustain stability efforts.
“This effort responds to the call from our partners in Kenya and has the full endorsement of Haiti,” Landau said, adding that all 32 members of the Organisation of American States (OAS) had signed a joint statement supporting the resolution.
The proposed force would consist of 5,500 personnel over five times the size of the current Kenyan-led MSS mission.
President William Ruto, who co-hosted the meeting, urged the international community to treat the Haitian crisis with greater urgency, stressing that the transition to the new mission must be predictable and coordinated.
“I want to persuade members of the international community to take the matters of Haiti as seriously as it deserves and hopefully provide a transition that is going to ensure we don’t let the people of Haiti down,” Ruto said.
The President also reflected on the progress made under the Kenyan mission, which has operated in Haiti for over a year. Achievements include securing the airport, the presidential palace, and reclaiming key institutions such as the police headquarters and training academy from armed gangs. The mission also helped reopen schools and hospitals that had been shut down due to insecurity.
Ruto further honored the memory of three Kenyan officers Samuel Tomoi Kaetuai, Benedict Kabiru, and Kennedy Nzuve—who lost their lives while serving in Haiti.
