Blinken says he'll push to increase UN funding for Haiti counter-gang mission

Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the U.S. will push for more funding for an international police force working to take on armed gangs in Haiti.

Blinken told reporters at a press conference Thursday while in Port-au-Prince that he discussed with Haitian leaders how to increase support for the United Nations-backed mission, which seeks to bolster the Haitian National Police.

The top Biden administration official said the U.S. would push for more funding for the Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) at the U.N. General Assembly meeting this month. The U.S. will also aim to renew the MSS mission that was first approved in October 2023, Blinken said.

"At this critical moment, we do need more funding, we do need more personnel, to sustain and carry out the objectives of this mission," he said.

The secretary of State said he expects there to be support at the U.N. for extending the MSS and even exploring further options to restore order in the Caribbean nation, and that he expects more nations to contribute funding.

'We also want to make sure that we have something that is reliable, that’s sustainable, and we’ll look at every option to do that," he said. "The ultimate objective is this, though: It’s not an indefinite endeavor. The entire purpose of the mission is first and foremost to regain control from the gangs, but then to enable Haitian institutions, particularly the Haitian National Police, to take this on for themselves."

The Kenyan-led MSS first deployed at the end of June, with some 400 police officers deployed at a base built by military contractors. Washington has also provided some $300 million for the mission and U.S. Southern Command has helped to deliver critical equipment for the MSS.

The only other major partners for the MSS are Kenya and Canada.

The MSS, which is tasked with training and leading the Haitian National Police to take on the gangs, has struggled to restore order and has yet to clear out Port-au-Prince or the surrounding area.

Haitian Prime Minister Garry Conille, who met with Blinken on Thursday, has said he needs more funding and support for the MSS and the police forces in Haiti to take on the gangs, which cemented control over most of the capital city this year but have been terrorizing the country since the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse in 2021.

Blinken said Thursday that the MSS has so far been successful, with "increased joint operations" that have helped to re-open the airport and take back the main hospital. He said he was briefed by Haitian officials and the MSS of "a clear plan" to make further progress.

The police are "taking the fight to the gangs and delivering a powerful message: The Haitian people – not Haitian gangs – will write the country’s future," he said.

"We’re very clear-eyed about what is required to address Haiti’s challenges. It’s an enormous amount of work to be done," Blinken continued. "The challenges are significant. But I think from just a few hours here today, meeting with leaders, talking to people, as well as being immersed in the work that we’ve done these past few months, what I am seeing is tremendous resilience and the emergence — the re-emergence — of hope."

Blinken on Thursday also announced an additional $45 million in humanitarian aid for Haiti, which he said brings the U.S. contribution in aid to more than $210 million this year.