UNITED NATIONS — The United States has informed the United Nations that it will be suspending its financial support for a U.N.-backed initiative in Haiti aimed at combating gang violence in the capital, as announced by the U.N. on Tuesday.
As the primary donor to the operation, which is led by Kenyan police, the U.S. halt comes during a time when the mission is facing severe challenges due to limited funding and inadequate personnel. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric stated that this decision will have an “immediate impact” on the ongoing efforts in Haiti.
This funding freeze follows U.S. President Donald Trump’s broader strategy of cutting foreign assistance, resulting in thousands of U.S. aid agency employees and contractors losing their jobs, alongside the dismantling of programs worldwide.
While U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has proposed a waiver for essential life-saving programs, uncertainty persists about which initiatives are exempt from these stop-work orders. As a result, aid and development activities across the globe are effectively stalled.
According to Dujarric, the U.S. had previously committed $15 million to the trust fund supporting the multinational force in Haiti. Of this, $1.7 million has already been utilized, leaving “$13.3 million frozen.” The U.N. is now awaiting further instructions from the U.S. regarding its financial contributions.
The trust fund, although containing less than $100 million of the estimated $600 million required on an annual basis for the force, is not the only financial assistance for the mission, as there are additional bilateral contributions that the U.N. does not account for.
The suspension of funding appears to have taken officials who oversee the Kenyan-led mission by surprise. When approached for comments, mission spokesperson Jack Mbaka declined to provide an immediate response.
The operation collaborates with Haiti’s National Police, which has been historically underfunded and under-resourced. The Haitian police force currently has only approximately 4,000 officers available in a nation with a population exceeding 11 million. Over the years, the U.S. government has provided millions to support these local police forces in their battle against gangs.
Just hours before the funding suspension was announced, a contingent of 70 soldiers from El Salvador arrived in Haiti to reinforce the existing presence of over 600 Kenyan officers, alongside support from police and military personnel from other nations, including Jamaica and Guatemala.
It remains uncertain how this funding suspension will affect the mission’s potential transition to a U.N. peacekeeping operation.
