What's changing after UN replaces Kenya-led mission in Haiti

The United Nations Security Council has replaced the Kenya-led Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission in Haiti with a new gang-suppression force, making clear changes in size, powers, and approach.

The MSS was authorised in October 2023 to back the Haitian National Police, with Kenya leading the deployment. 

Its job was to provide support rather than fight directly, and it aimed to send 2,500 personnel. 

By mid-2025, fewer than 1,000 had arrived, leaving it underpowered against gangs that control most of Port-au-Prince. 

The force was also tied down by logistics problems and a shortage of funds.

The new gang-suppression mission is different. It allows up to 5,550 personnel, more than double the MSS target. 

Unlike the Kenya-led mission, it has the authority to neutralise and arrest gang members on its own. 

This makes it far more aggressive than the previous arrangement, which depended heavily on Haiti’s police.

Another change is logistics. The MSS had no central support system and often stalled because of weak supply chains. 

The UN will now create a dedicated Support Office in Haiti to handle transport, medical needs, and communications for the new force.

Leadership has also shifted. The MSS was run by Kenya, but the new mission is overseen by a group of partners, including the United States, Canada, and Kenya, with the UN Secretary-General required to give regular progress reports. 

This adds more oversight and international involvement than before.

In short, the new gang-suppression force is larger, better equipped, and more independent than the Kenya-led mission. 

While the MSS was designed to help, the new mission is built to take the fight directly to the gangs. 

Whether that translates into real change on the ground in Haiti will depend on funding, troop deployment, and how the force works with local communities.

Performance of MSS

Although the Kenya-led Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission in Haiti faced major challenges, it still recorded some modest successes during its deployment. 

The mission was the first serious international response to Haiti’s worsening crisis in years, and its presence sent an important signal that the international community was ready to engage.

One of the MSS’s key achievements was its ability to support the Haitian National Police in operations. 

Joint patrols gave the under-resourced police a needed boost, improving mobility and providing backup in dangerous areas. This partnership helped the police mount operations they could not have carried out alone.

The mission also managed to disrupt gangs in certain pockets of Port-au-Prince, temporarily pushing them out of some streets and creating limited safe zones. 

While these gains were often short-lived, they provided relief for residents and showed that gangs were not completely untouchable.

Beyond the streets, the MSS offered a deterrent effect. Its presence forced some gangs to reduce overt attacks in areas close to international patrols. At the same time, it gave Haitians a sense, however fragile, that they were not entirely abandoned.