The United States has halted its financial support for a United Nations-managed fund designed to assist a multinational security mission in Haiti. As a result, $13.3 million in expected aid has been put on hold, according to a UN spokesperson on Tuesday.
Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, confirmed that the US formally requested an immediate suspension of its pledged contribution to the trust fund supporting the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission. This decision affects the already underfunded Kenya-led initiative.
In October 2023, the UN Security Council approved the MSS mission to help Haitian authorities combat armed gangs that dominate vast regions of the country.
Washington’s decision to freeze this funding aligns with newly elected President Donald Trump’s broader policy of scaling back US international aid, which includes plans to dismantle the government’s primary foreign assistance agency, USAID.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned in late January that without increased international support, Haiti’s capital could fall under full gang control. He stressed that additional funding, equipment, and personnel are urgently needed to strengthen the mission, cautioning that delays could result in the “catastrophic” collapse of Haiti’s security infrastructure and give gangs free rein over Port-au-Prince.
During a UN Security Council meeting, Haiti’s Foreign Minister, Jean-Victor Harvel Jean-Baptiste, highlighted the country’s severe struggles, describing them as existential threats not only to its people but also to the nation itself.
Although the MSS is not an official UN peacekeeping force, the UN has set up a voluntary fund to assist it, collecting $110 million so far—an amount widely considered insufficient.
Out of the projected 2,500 security personnel, only around 800 have been deployed.
The United States had contributed $15 million to the fund, ranking as the second-largest donor after Canada, which pledged $63 million. Of the US contribution, $1.7 million had already been allocated before the funding suspension.
Beyond the UN-backed initiative, the Biden administration had also provided over $300 million in direct funding and equipment to the MSS, including multiple armored vehicles.
Haiti currently lacks a functioning president and parliament, with a transitional government struggling to manage escalating gang violence, extreme poverty, and other crises.
The UN reports that more than 5,626 people were killed in Haiti last year due to gang-related violence—an increase of roughly 1,000 from the previous year. Additionally, over one million Haitians have been forced from their homes, a figure three times higher than the previous year’s displacement levels.
