The decision means that the force is now being expanded and can comprise up to 5,500 uniformed employees, including both soldiers and police officers. Currently, only police officers are part of the UN-backed international effort that received the green light in 2023. The effort has been led by Kenya, and the force has mainly consisted of personnel from the country.
US UN Ambassador Mike Waltz says in a statement that the vote result from twelve of the Security Council members will "transform the multinational security mission into a new force to combat gangs" and that the force will now become five times as large as it is today.
Haiti is severely affected by violent crime and large parts of the country are controlled by armed gangs.
