Kenya's Leadership Role in Haiti's Security Mission May Shift to New International Force

A new international force may soon take over from the Kenyan-led security mission in Haiti, according to the strongest indication yet from an official source. This development follows a phone call on Tuesday between Kenyan President William Ruto and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. During the call, Kenya advocated for the adoption of a UN proposal that would provide logistical help for the Multinational Security Support mission.

While Kenya has provided the majority of the personnel for the MSS, the United States is the primary financial backer. This financial leverage gives the US significant influence over the mission’s direction. Since the first deployment of Kenyan police a year ago to protect critical infrastructure, the United Nations has issued warnings about a humanitarian crisis in Haiti. Port-au-Prince is reportedly on the verge of being completely overrun by gangs. The MSS mission has faced significant setbacks due to shortages in manpower, intelligence, equipment, and security infrastructure.

To tackle these challenges, UN Secretary-General suggested creating a UN support office for the MSS, having already advised against a traditional UN peacekeeping mission. Concurrently, the United States has endorsed the Organization of American States (OAS), a group it heavily funds, to assume a leading role and encourage regional security and stabilization efforts.

“With respect to the MSS mission, The United States thanks Kenya for its dedication, leadership, and support for the last year. As we look to combat the threat of terrorist gangs looking to topple the state, we must ensure that an even greater share of the international community is invested in the fight. This is why The United States, alongside Panama, will seek authorization of a UN support office to properly resource this effort. Should the UN Security Council pursue this model, then we will also seek robust regional participation to provide strategic leadership of the force.”

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio hinted at this plan during his appearance before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in May.

“That we are seeking to come up with an alternative strategy because the one that’s in place right now isn’t working, and Haiti’s heading in a very bad direction very quickly. I asked myself, the Organization of American States has not led a mission since 1965, I believe. Why do we have an Organization of American States if it is unable to collectively respond to what is a severe catastrophe in our own hemisphere?”

This change would effectively require Kenya to step down from its leadership position.