US envoy to UN announces $60 million in aid for Haiti during visit

UNITED NATIONS/WASHINGTON >> The U.S. envoy to the United Nations has announced tens of millions of dollars in aid for Haiti during a visit a month after the first contingent of Kenyan police arrived as part of an international security mission aimed at combating gang violence.

The $60 million in humanitarian assistance announced by Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield during her visit to Haiti will support the country’s population and alleviate suffering caused by gang violence, according to a statement. It will address critical gaps in nutrition, food security, shelter, and improve water and sanitation services, among other things.

The United States, through the Department of Defense, will also provide a “significant number” of mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles to the international security mission. The State Department also intends to acquire additional armored vehicles to assist mission personnel, the statement said.

Gang wars have displaced more than 578,000 Haitians, while nearly 5 million of them – almost half of the population of 11.7 million – face acute hunger, with 1.6 million at risk of starvation, according to the United Nations.

Armed gangs, which now control most of the capital Port-au-Prince, have formed a broad alliance to carry out mass murders, kidnappings for ransom and sexual violence. According to the UN, between January and August 2023, rape cases increased by 49% compared to the same period in 2022.

Some 200 Kenyan police officers arrived in Haiti late last month as part of the long-delayed Multinational Security Support Mission, which is meant to help the national police fight armed gangs. The total force is expected to exceed 2,500, but it is not yet clear when more might arrive and funding is far from sufficient to meet the needs.

The U.N. Security Council authorized the force in October 2023, a year after Haiti’s previous government requested help. The United States has provided some $300 million for the mission, which is not a U.N. peacekeeping operation.

During her visit Monday, Thomas-Greenfield met with the transitional council and Prime Minister Garry Conille. She also toured the vital support area of ​​the international security mission, according to a Pool reporter who was traveling with the ambassador.

The UN has appealed for $674 million to help Haiti by 2024, but has received less than a quarter of that target.

At least 40 Haitian migrants were killed at sea after the boat they were traveling on caught fire last Wednesday, the International Organization for Migration in Haiti said.