The United Nations reported on Tuesday that more than $13 million in U.S. funding for an international security force aiding in combating armed gangs in Haiti has been frozen under President Donald Trump's administration.
In Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, powerful gangs, armed mainly with weapons trafficked from the United States, have formed a unified alliance, assuming control of most of the city and extending their influence to neighboring areas.
Although sanctioned by the U.N. Security Council, the international security mission, which is not a United Nations initiative, operates on voluntary contributions. Despite this support, the mission has achieved limited success in assisting Haiti in restoring order.
The approximately 900 police and troops involved in the mission hail from countries such as Kenya, El Salvador, Jamaica, Guatemala, and Belize. U.N. data reveals that over $110 million has been deposited into a trust fund for the mission, with more than half coming from Canada.
U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric informed reporters that the U.S., which had pledged $15 million to the trust fund, has frozen $13.3 million of that amount, following an official request for an immediate halt to their contribution.
Shortly after assuming office on Jan. 20, Trump initiated a 90-day hiatus to review foreign aid expenditures to assess their alignment with his "America First" foreign policy objectives.
Trump indicated on Tuesday his intention to phase out the program, signifying a significant reconfiguration of how the world's largest donor country allocates foreign aid.