The Biden administration approved a $60 million military aid package to help Haiti crack down on violent gangs sowing chaos in the country, according to documents obtained by POLITICO published this Saturday, May 4, 2024.
The package, the second the United States has approved for the Haitian crisis this year, includes mainly small arms but also some armored vehicles. The notification lists at least 80 Humvees, 35 MaxxPro infantry carriers, sniper rifles, riot control equipment, firearms, ammunition and surveillance drones.
This initiative would send weapons and equipment to the Haitian National Police as well as countries supporting the multinational security mission aimed at suppressing violence in Haiti: Kenya, Jamaica and the Bahamas among others, indicates the memorandum of competence for removal.
The latest package brings the total U.S. stockpile contribution for the Haitian crisis to $70 million, after the Biden administration approved a $10 million package earlier this year. The cap for this authority is $75 million and expires at the end of the fiscal year.
Spokespeople for the State Department, Defense Department and National Security Council did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Last month, POLITICO reported that the Biden administration planned to use its withdrawal authority to expedite $60 million in weapons, ammunition and other equipment to countries that would deploy to Haiti. The move is seen as an apparent attempt to circumvent oversight efforts, reflecting growing pressure on the administration to act.
Since the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse in 2021, armed gangs have largely taken control of the country, killing thousands of people and displacing hundreds of thousands more. Due to the complex history of Western intervention in Haiti, Kenya agreed to lead a multinational UN security mission to the country.
However, the U.S.-backed plan, which would support the deployment of thousands of security forces to Haiti to bolster the national police, has faced intense scrutiny from critics who say it provides few details on how it will achieve success.
The first Kenyan forces are scheduled to land in Haiti on May 23, POLITICO reported.
With Politico
