Despite earlier assurances that taxpayers would not fund the operation, Kenya’s government has allocated $16 million to support the Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti.
The mission, launched in June, faces criticism for appearing to be a continuation of US intervention in Haiti. About 1,000 Kenyan troops are on the ground.
The government initially said the United Nations (UN) and the United States’ $300 million in promised funds would cover the mission’s costs. However, with it remaining underfunded and underequipped, Kenya and the US have sought to shift responsibility to the UN Security Council, with a proposal in September for a UN peacekeeping mission. However, two UN Security Council members—China and Russia—expressed hesitancy, arguing that a UN mission is too soon to call for and that peacekeeping would require peace already be in place.
They said such a mission would not effectively address Haiti’s challenges, citing past UN peacekeeping failures, including cholera outbreaks, s*xual exploitation and civilian deaths.
Russia’s opposition to international interventions in Haiti dates back to 2022, with the Russian representative emphasising the historical roots of Haiti’s instability, such as foreign interference, the Haitian government removing fuel subsidies, and the influx of smuggled US weapons.
Sources
News
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/kenyas-haiti-mission-hit-with-mysterious-ksh21-billion-payment/ar-AA1urljq
Russia China against UN peacekeeping op in Haiti
https://apnews.com/article/un-haiti-gangs-kenya-multinational-force-peacekeeping-bab6d3c545c6f2558fd5c45d00b07f55