International News: United States to contribute $300 million to Haiti’s multinational security mission

By Zoila Palma Gonzalez: United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on Monday that the U.S. will contribute $300 million to the Kenyan-led multinational security mission to Haiti.

Haiti continues to face a humanitarian crisis fueled by widespread gang violence.

“I’m announcing today that the United States Department of Defense is doubling its approved support for the mission from $100 million to $200 million. And that brings the total US support to $300 million for this effort,” Blinken said at the conclusion of a meeting of Caribbean states (CARICOM) in the Jamaican capital of Kingston.

According to CNN, authorities in Kenya indicated that troops are currently in the “pre-deployment” stage.

Meanwhile, U.S. officials have called for the acceleration of such a force to help stabilize the volatile situation on the ground, which has seen Haiti enter a state of emergency after its capital of Port-au-Prince plunged into violence amid highly coordinated gang attacks.

Recently, Blinken attended the high-level CARICOM meeting in a bid to find a solution to Haiti’s political crisis.