U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is making strong assurances that the Trump administration is not disbanding the heavily funded foreign military force that assists neighboring Haiti in eradicating lethal armed gangs as he makes his final stop in the Dominican Republic during his five-day overseas mission.
A State Department spokesman said Rubio thanked Kenyan President William Ruto for the ongoing global protection support mission to Haiti, which is still completely functional. A novel group of 144 Kenyan police officials, including 24 people, were flying to Port-au-Prince on a contract Kenya Airways journey as the two leaders spoke. The mission, which even received a regiment of 70 military soldiers from El Salvador on Tuesday, also received a force of 144 Kenyan police officers, including 24 women, on the trip.
To allow the Central American force to conduct clinical and victim evacuations of vision officers, the Kenyans arrived at Port-au-Prince’s Toussaint Louverture International Aircraft at the same time as three big helicopters from El Salvador.
The new operations, which are still less than 2, 500 safety personnel, significantly strengthen the vision, whose little footprints and lack of equipment, such as helicopters, have made it challenging to defeat strong groups and maintain earth after conducting joint operations with the Haiti National Police.
Prior to Thursday’s deployment, U.S. and Kenyan officials had been conducting an information blitz in preparation for reports that a$ 15 million contribution to a U.N. controlled trust fund to support the Kenya-led mission had been frozen as part of President Trump’s 90-day freeze on nearly all U.S. foreign aid. The money was part of ney w a$ 110.8 million in cash deposits in the basket fund — but also a tiny fraction of the more than$ 620 million the United States, under the Biden administration, had disbursed for the Multinational Security Support ( MSS) mission.
The Biden administration had already deployed at least 22 military aircraft to Haiti ahead of their scheduled departure this month to support the under-resourced and under-equipped mission. Additionally, they had allocated an additional$ 120 million, according to a source with knowledge of the financing, according to the Miami Herald. Contracts, set to expire next month, have also been extended until September.
On Wednesday, the U. S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince, seeking to calm concerns, said that the U. S. “has not paused all assistance” for the mission and, on the contrary, Rubio had approved waivers worth millions of dollars for its continued operations.
The Haiti National Police and the Multinational Security Support mission were granted waivers for$ 40.7 million in foreign aid, according to the embassy, according to the embassy’s statement on X. They included contracts for logistical support for forward operating bases, a vehicle maintenance contract for the security mission’s armored fleet, a contract for medical services for the Haiti National Police and transportation services for deliveries of Department of State-provided equipment, and contracts to support subject matter experts with the Haiti National Police. Stop work orders were issued last week for a number of subject matter experts, or police advisers, that the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs had contracted to provide support to the MSS and the police. While some have returned, others remain furloughed.
Rubio arrived in the Dominican Republic late on Wednesday and met with President Luis Abinader for a meeting on Thursday. Haiti was a top issue for the Dominican government as it became more and more concerned about the prowess of gangs, which last year carried out several mass killings and now control as much as 90 % of the capital. Despite the two having many issues to address, the two had a number of issues. Last year alone, at least 5, 626 people were killed as a result of gang violence, self-defense groups and police operations, the U. N. said this week.
The mission currently has security personnel from Jamaica, Belize, the Bahamas, Guatemala and El Salvador. The most recent arrival of Kenyans, which includes the first female police officers from the East African nation, comes at a crucial time.
As the country approaches three crucial dates, including Friday, Feb. 7, which is traditionally when a new president typically takes office, Feb. 29, which will mark the one-year anniversary of the powerful Viv Ansanm gang coalition, and March 7, when Leslie Voltaire, the current head of the Transitional Presidential Council, is expected to hand the baton to Fritz Alphonse Jean in the rotating presidency, have been increasing concerns about a gang attack.
Since last week, gang members have been installing themselves in the mountains of Kenscoff, a rural farming community above Port-au-Prince. They’ve massacred farmers, emptied out towns and set up supply lines to receive food and water. Their goal, say local officials, is to take over the last remaining swaths of the capital, including the wealthy enclaves of Fermathe, Pétion-Ville and parts of Kenscoff, not under their control.
Local authorities have declined to provide an exact figure on the death toll, having been unable to reach many of the communities currently under siege. However, local residents claim that at least 150 people have died. They’ve also said the gang members number anywhere between 1, 000 and 3, 500.
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