By Michelle Ndaga
The future of the Kenya-led Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission in Haiti has been thrown into uncertainty after the United States warned it could halt funding unless the UN Security Council approves reforms to expand and restructure the operation.
The MSS, deployed under a UN mandate in 2023, was designed to help Haiti’s fragile security forces combat heavily armed gangs that have overrun much of the capital, Port-au-Prince.
Kenya leads the mission, with contributions from several other countries, but the force remains far smaller than originally envisioned and hampered by limited resources.
Washington is now pushing for the mission to evolve into a more robust “Gang Suppression Force,” with up to 5,500 personnel, broader powers, and a structure more akin to UN peacekeeping operations. U.S. officials argue that without this transformation, the mission will remain under-resourced and ineffective.
A senior U.S. diplomat cautioned that continued American funding a cornerstone of the operation may cease after December 2025 if the reforms are not adopted.
While the U.S. has pledged significant financial support, much of it has yet to be disbursed, and Kenya has raised concerns over inadequate equipment, including unreliable vehicles provided for deployment.
Kenyan officials, however, insist the mission is not at risk of immediate collapse. They note that the UN Trust Fund for Haiti has already received more than US$85 million in contributions out of US$110 million pledged, giving the MSS resources to operate until at least September 2025.
The standoff underscores the wider struggle over how best to stabilize Haiti, where escalating violence has triggered mass displacement and deepened humanitarian crises.
It also highlights the challenges of sustaining multinational interventions reliant on voluntary funding amid diverging political priorities at the UN.
