The United States has issued a stop order on funding for the Kenya-led Haiti Multinational Security Support Mission, plunging the UN-backed campaign into a funding crisis.
The United Nations (UN) confirmed the funding freeze, with AFP quoting Stéphane Dujarric, the UN Secretary-General's spokesperson, as saying the move would impact USD 13.3 million in pending aid.
"We received an official notification from the US asking for an immediate stop work order on their contribution," Dujarric told AFP.
The development, which aligns with former President Donald Trump's radical approach to cutting foreign aid, comes just a week after President William Ruto reassured that the US had committed to supporting Kenya's efforts to tackle gangs in the Caribbean nation.
"I am very proud that even President Trump, under the new administration, supports Kenya's mission in Haiti to help the men, women, and children of that nation experience peace and stability so they, too, can achieve what other nations have," Ruto told a church congregation in Nairobi on January 26.
President Ruto made the remarks while downplaying Trump's statement that the US would not fight "other people's wars."
Ruto vouched for strong ties between the US and Kenya, calling the relationship "special."
"The United States is a blessing to our nation. We work together in many aspects," he said.
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Kenya has deployed 600 police officers to the Haiti Mission, with the latest batch of 200 arriving in Port-au-Prince on January 19.
Funding gaps, however, have remained a significant hurdle for the Mission since Kenya deployed troops in June 2024.
The Mission's funding topped President Ruto's agenda during his State Visit to the United States in September 2024.
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Prior to his arrival in Washington, Ruto had made a detour to Port-au-Prince, where he met Kenyan troops to reassure them of support amid concerns over delays in the provision of security hardware and financial assistance.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has repeatedly called for international support, warning that Haiti's capital could become overrun by gangs.
In late January, Guterres cautioned that further delays could risk a "catastrophic" collapse of Haiti's security institutions, allowing gangs to overrun Port-au-Prince.
President Joe Biden's administration had contributed USD 15 million to a voluntary fund set up to support the Mission, while Canada provided USD 1.7 million out of its USD 63 million commitment.
The UN has raised USD 110 million since the fund's inception, an amount deemed insufficient to support the desired 2,500-member security mission.
Kenya has deployed 600 police officers out of the 800 officers contributed by personnel-contributing countries, which include Jamaica.
