Kenya downplays US funding freeze on Haiti mission
The Kenya-led security mission fighting armed gangs in Haiti will not be affected by a disruption in US funding, Kenya's government spokesman has said, TRT Afrika reported.
More than $13 million in US funding has been frozen under President Donald Trump's 90-day pause on foreign aid.
Kenya's government said the Haiti mission is supported by the UN Trust Fund for Haiti where several countries, including the US, had already contributed $85m that was enough to sustain its operations.
"The fund remains well resourced to support the mission until the end of September 2025," government spokesman Isaac Mwaura said in a statement.
UN operation
He said the government was working to transition the Haiti security mission into a UN operation.
The Multinational Security Support mission, while approved by the UN Security Council, is not a United Nations operation and currently relies on voluntary contributions.
There are nearly 900 police and troops from Kenya, El Salvador, Jamaica, Guatemala and Belize. More than $110 million has been paid into a UN trust fund for the mission, more than half of it from Canada, according to UN data.
The US has committed approximately $600 million to the mission, with a significant portion already disbursed, principal secretary of the foreign ministry Korir Sing’oei told Anadolu news agency.
'Very confident'
"The only thing the US has done is to say, okay, let's pause further disbursement to the trust fund for 90 days. That only affects about $15 million. The mission already has $110 million to continue operations, and we are very confident that other countries will come on board."
"It cannot be stopped in terms of being used, because it's money already disbursed," he added.
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