The U.S. pledged to send 24 armored vehicles to Kenyan troops deployed in Haiti to support their efforts in a U.N.-authorized security mission fighting gangs that have taken control of the Haitian capital. These Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (M.R.A.P.) Maxxpro vehicles join 10 others sent in July. The U.S. has provided over $300 million to the Multinational Security Support mission, first requested by Haiti in 2022. Several countries have pledged 2,500 troops to the mission, however, Kenya is the only country that has given 400 troops so far. According to A.F.P., Kenyan personnel have not been able to successfully recapture any gang strongholds. 

The State Department has said, “This equipment will assist (Haiti’s National Police) in their fight against criminal actors who are fomenting violence and disrupting the flow of critically needed humanitarian assistance, hindering efforts to halt the spread of cholera.” 

Kenyan police have said they have made “significant progress,” including helping take back “critical infrastructure, including the airport, from gang control” and opening “roads that have enabled the return of thousands of Haitians earlier displaced.”

However, in a statement to A.F.P., Diego Da Rin has stated that the Kenyan efforts have, “neither the sufficient personnel nor the equipment to launch real offensive operations against the gangs.”

The humanitarian crisis in Haiti is growing worse with a cholera outbreak and over five million suffering from severe hunger. The U.N.’s Multinational Security Support mission is essential to relieve this crisis, however, it does not have the ability or power to execute or enforce this mission. This is a fundamental error built into the fabric of the U.N. There is no single collective authority to enforce its policies and missions, therefore there is little incentive for countries to follow through with their promises. The U.S.’s provision of resources to Kenya is a step in the right direction, however, other countries must follow through with their promises to provide more troops for the mission to be effective. The U.N. has stated that implementation will be “borne by voluntary contributions and support from individual member states.” This is why there has been so little action and support for Haiti. Haiti needs support from its allies and a more sustainable distribution of humanitarian funding to put a stop to its humanitarian crisis.

Haiti has long been known as the most poverty-stricken island in the Western Hemisphere due to a variety of factors including political, geographical, and social. Overthrowing French colonial rule and slavery, Haiti became the first nation with a Black-led republic. French colonies had inflicted severe environmental damage on the island including deforestation to establish sugar plantations and other nations such as the U.S. were unwilling to invest in Haiti as an independent nation because they did not want a former slave colony to succeed. Its depleted natural resources and lack of commerce have gradually made it one of the poorest countries in the world, with citizens suffering from cholera outbreaks, famine, and rampant gang violence. Haiti now depends heavily on humanitarian funding from other countries to survive and has not improved due to corruption of political leadership and a lack of willingness from other countries to provide military aid. 

The crisis in Haiti has long persisted and its people have suffered from humanitarian neglect because of the effects of colonization, environmental strife, and lack of political leadership. Failed leadership and lack of funding organizations have led to this crisis. For future funding to be successful donating countries must provide Haiti with more budget support and help to strengthen its government institutions while doing so. Kenya itself lacks the resources to reform its government institutions. Countries under the U.N. such as the U.S. and France must take responsibility and send reinforcements to support Kenya in the U.N. mission for Haiti to make its first steps toward recovery.