During a recent meeting of the Organization of American States (O.A.S.), Haitian officials called on its regional partners to help the nation combat the heightening gang wars within its borders. The Kenyan-led, U.N.-backed mission created to help resolve these issues is currently facing a lack of funding and personnel and has not been able to hold off the violence. During this recent O.A.S. meeting, U.S. official Barbara Feinstein echoed sentiments from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio by saying that the U.S. is willing to assist Haiti in this time of crisis, but made it clear that it “cannot continue shouldering such a significant financial burden.”

The situation in Haiti is dire and civilians are suffering the bulk of casualties and losses. A recent escalation in violence saw an attack on the Artibonite region in Haiti which killed as many as 22 people. This attack is one of many: in 2024 alone, the U.N. estimates 5,601 people were killed in gang violence. According to the spokesperson for the Commission for Dialogue, Reconciliation, and Awareness to Save the Artibonite, victims of the recent attacks reached out to local authorities for help. Still, neither the police nor the Kenyan-led mission could offer assistance. The gangs in Haiti have more resources than the Haitian military and police combined due to suspected smuggling of weapons from the U.S., a statement backed by Haiti’s defense minister Jean-Michel Moïse as well as other Haitian officials.

At the recent O.A.S. meeting, Feinstein stated that “much more could be done,” referring to inaction from the organization, though she did not directly call for an O.A.S. mission to be deployed. Her sentiments somewhat echo Marco Rubio’s statements from a hearing on Haiti, although he is more vocal in criticizing O.A.S. for not putting a mission together. “Why do we have an O.A.S., if the O.A.S. can’t put together a mission to handle the most critical region in our hemisphere?” He continued at a later time saying, “This is a regional problem, and it should have a regional solution.” Although he calls for a regional mission, he seems to be blaming the regional organization rather than offering a substantial solution with U.S.-backed aid.

The O.A.S. aims to “strengthen peace and security” in the Western Hemisphere, so it would make sense for all, especially the most affluent, countries in the region to contribute to the cause. The U.S. seems to want to champion the idea that more can be done to help gang fighting in Haiti, yet it has not done its part to contribute to a solution. The U.S. is currently doing the opposite of helping this regional conflict by cutting back spending to avoid “this significant financial burden.” While Kenya is contributing some of its finances to a conflict in a distant region, the U.S. shies away from such efforts. One must keep in mind that the U.S. G.D.P. is significantly higher than that of Kenya. Considering the financial power of the U.S., its input could be substantial. If more financial resources were contributed to fighting the eruption of violence in this nation, there could be a more successful peace-making mission in Haiti.

Ultimately, the U.S. must contribute more financial effort to combat the issue of gang violence in Haiti. Its resistance to “shouldering” the bulk of financial contributions means that smaller, less-affluent nations will have to shoulder the burden instead. The O.A.S. was founded to encourage collaborative solutions to issues that arise among its member states, and as one of the most financially powerful countries in the region, the U.S. plays an important role. It is especially important that the U.S. play a bigger role in helping out Haiti if the U.S. indirectly contributes to the violence via weapons that are smuggled from there. If the U.S. continues to shrug off its responsibilities to contribute to peace and security in the region, it is falling short of the commitments it pledged to by joining the O.A.S. The shifting of responsibility is unfair and could ultimately result in more devastation in the nation of Haiti.