UN extends Haiti mission mandate after dropping push for larger peacekeeping effort

The United Nations Security Council on Monday unanimously renewed a multinational security support mission (MSS) in Haiti to combat armed gangs after the U.S. dropped a push to enlarge the effort into a peacekeeping force.

The resolution, led by the U.S. and Ecuador, extends the MSS for another year, until October 2025, giving police forces more time to address the surge of violent gangs in the Caribbean island nation.

U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the renewal "sends a strong message to the people of Haiti."

"The world stands with you, and we are unwavering in our efforts to restore security and stability," she told media in New York. "Haiti continues to face a prolonged crisis aggravated by the activities of criminal gangs and their indiscriminate violent attacks that disproportionately impacts the civilian population, especially women and children."

The U.S. effort to transform the MSS into a peacekeeping mission met opposition from China and Russia, which are permanent members of the Security Council and hold veto power.

Both countries had expressed concern the mission was not yet ready for such a transformation, and the resolution was ultimately amended to remove the language of a peacekeeping effort.

The MSS, led by Kenya, initially deployed in June and now has some 400 police officers supporting the Haitian National Police. It has achieved some progress in wrestling back control from armed gangs in the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince, but the effort remains underfunded and has yet to push out the gangs controlling most of the city.

Kenyan President William Ruto said he was "deeply grateful" for the financial support for the MSS, but that the mission was "hindered by insufficient equipment, logistics and funding."

"I appeal to all member states to stand in solidarity with the people of Haiti," he said in an address to the U.N. last week. "The progress so far in Haiti demonstrates that what was once deemed mission impossible is indeed a present and undeniable possibility."

Ruto added that even with funding concerns he expects to deploy the entire police force of 2,500 officers by January.

The U.S. and Canada are the biggest supporters of the MSS. Washington has contributed some $300 million to the mission, and Canada has donated more than $80 million in support, but much of the funding requirements for the MSS have not been met.

Thomas-Greenfield said the MSS has made "tangible progress" since the June deployment.

"But in order to harness that momentum and to continue countering gang violence and establishing a sense of safety, more must be done," she said. "Additional financial contributions are urgently needed."

Haiti has been wracked by armed gangs since the 2021 death of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, and the MSS was approved in October 2023 at the U.N. at the request of Port-au-Prince.

The government in Haiti, led by acting Prime Minister Garry Conille, has little power and is reliant on the MSS and the international community to take on the gangs.

A transitional council in Haiti is preparing for new elections once security is restored to the nation, where more than 600,000 people have been displaced and more than 5 million are struggling to access basic necessities, according to the U.N.

The gangs pose an immense challenge to the MSS because they are extremely well-armed, largely because of gun trafficking from the U.S., a point that more than 60 lawmakers raised in a letter to the Biden administration last week. They called for a greater effort to crack down on weapons smuggling to the Caribbean nation.