Day: September 8, 2025

Kenyan President Urges UN for Transition of Haiti Security Mission

Kenyan President William Ruto has called upon the UN Security Council to facilitate a “responsible transition” of the Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) in Haiti, as its current mandate approaches expiration in October, reports 24brussels.

Ruto’s remarks were made during a bilateral meeting with Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley at the second Africa-Caribbean Community (Caricom) summit held at the African Union (AU) headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He highlighted the urgency of addressing the security crisis in Haiti where armed gangs control nearly 90% of Port-au-Prince and other regions.

In a separate meeting with Bahamas Prime Minister Philip Edward Davis, Ruto discussed how the escalating insecurity in Haiti impacts neighboring countries and the broader region. He emphasized the necessity for prompt “consideration and adoption of a resolution that anchors international efforts in Haiti,” as the mission’s mandate nears its end.

The MSS, established at Haiti’s request and authorized by the Security Council in 2023, is primarily led by Kenya and financed by the U.S. After its deployment in 2024, the mission aimed to bolster Haiti’s security forces against heavily armed gangs. The mission currently consists of approximately 1,000 troops, predominantly from Kenya, with over 500 officers added from countries including Jamaica, Belize, the Bahamas, Guatemala, and El Salvador in January 2025.

Despite these efforts, violence in Haiti shows no signs of abating. UN data reported over 4,000 murders in the first half of 2025, a 24% increase compared to the previous year. Gang-related conflicts have displaced an estimated 1.3 million individuals from their homes.

The MSS’s mission is shadowed by memories of past UN operations in Haiti, which faced criticism for sexual exploitation of vulnerable women and responsibility for the 2010 cholera outbreak. Reportedly, nearly 2,800 killings were recorded between late 2022 and mid-2023 alone.

In response, Haitian civil society organizations have pressed for stricter accountability measures and enhanced human rights protections to prevent a repeat of past mistakes.

As of mid-2025, Ruto acknowledged setbacks in the mission, revealing that less than half of the promised 2,500 troops had been deployed, only 30% of the essential equipment had arrived, and the number of displaced individuals had surged to 1.1 million within a year of the mission’s deployment.

Ruto’s statements reflect the complexities and urgent need for effective international support in Haiti as the MSS grapples with mounting violence and operational challenges.