Kenya’s President William Ruto has warned that the United Nations-backed Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) in Haiti risks failure unless the international community addresses critical gaps in logistics, transport, and equipment. Speaking at a high-level meeting on Haiti during the UN General Assembly in New York on Monday, Ruto insisted that the crisis “can and must be solved,” but cautioned that the mission’s effectiveness was being undermined by inadequate support.
The MSS was created by a UN Security Council resolution on October 2, 2023, to help restore order in Haiti, where gang violence has paralyzed the capital, disrupted aid distribution, and displaced tens of thousands. The mission was expected to deploy 2,500 personnel, but as of June 2025, fewer than 1,000—most of them Kenyan police—have been deployed. Ruto singled out the United States for providing much of the mission’s transport but criticized the reliance on outdated vehicles. “Most of the vehicles were second-hand, and they broke down repeatedly—sometimes in extremely dangerous areas, putting our personnel at risk,” he said. “But at least the US stepped up.”
The MSS mandate expires on October 2, 2025, and pressure is mounting to scale up international involvement. On Monday, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau renewed Washington’s call for a larger Gang Suppression Force (GSF) with a broader mandate and more than 5,500 personnel—five times the size of the current mission. Landau noted the rare unanimity among all 32 members of the Organization of American States in backing the proposal.
Haiti’s crisis has worsened since the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. Armed gangs now control large parts of Port-au-Prince, crippling governance and worsening the humanitarian emergency. Analysts warn that without urgent reinforcement, the MSS could collapse, further destabilizing Haiti and undermining trust in international peacekeeping efforts.
