Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic – May 13, 2025 — In a critical diplomatic meeting held in Santo Domingo this week, Kenyan Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi and Dominican Foreign Minister Roberto Álvarez issued a joint appeal to the international community to urgently fulfill and expand financial and logistical support for the United Nations-backed Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission in Haiti.
The MSS mission, greenlit by the UN Security Council in 2023, was established to help stabilize Haiti amid unprecedented levels of gang violence and political turmoil. Led by Kenya, the mission currently includes approximately 1,000 personnel, with Kenyans making up nearly 75% of the deployed forces. Despite this deployment, the mission’s impact has remained limited due to severe funding shortfalls and logistical challenges.
“The MSS mission cannot operate without the tools it needs,” said Minister Álvarez during the joint press briefing. “We are asking the international community to act on its commitments; lives depend on it.”
Originally estimated to require $600 million annually, the mission has received only $85 million in contributions as of late 2024. The situation worsened in February 2025 when the United States froze its financial support, citing a lack of measurable progress and internal reassessments of its foreign engagement strategy.
Minister Mudavadi reaffirmed Kenya’s commitment to leading the mission but emphasized the urgent need for broader global participation.
“Kenya cannot do this alone,” said Mudavadi. “Without the financial and logistical backing of our partners, the MSS mission cannot fulfill its mandate and Haiti will continue to suffer.”
As armed gangs tighten their grip on large parts of Port-au-Prince and beyond, pressure is mounting on the international community to act decisively. Reports suggest that the United States is now exploring alternative strategies, including the potential deployment of troops from Latin American nations under the Organization of American States (OAS). Preliminary talks have been initiated with Colombia, Brazil, and Argentina, with Washington reportedly offering to fund troop deployments as part of a broader regional response.
The joint appeal from Kenya and the Dominican Republic underscores a growing consensus that without robust, unifie
d international i
ntervention, the security and humanitarian crisis in Haiti may spiral further out of control.
