On July 8, 2024, two C17 Globemaster cargo planes from the US Air Force delivered several MaxxPro armored vehicles, along with two Humvees and several trailers to Toussaint Louverture International Airport, marking a new phase of international support for Haiti under a multinational mission led by Kenya. This initiative comes as the United Nations has called for resolute action against the criminal gangs destabilizing the country.
The Biden administration has decided to send over $60 million in military aid to Haiti, including 80 Humvees, 35 MaxxPro vehicles, sniper rifles, and drones. A portion of this equipment has already arrived as part of the deployment of the multinational force aimed at stabilizing the country.
To recall, Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, is experiencing a prolonged security and political crisis, exacerbated by the 2010 earthquake, the assassination of its president Jovenel Moïse in 2021, and repeated natural disasters. Gang violence has reached unprecedented levels, controlling vast swathes of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and beyond, paralyzing normal economic activities and hindering governance and administrative efforts. The gangs fight for power and resources, causing massive population displacements and disruptions in access to basic services, plunging many regions into chaos and desolation.