The Kenyan-led force is hitting back after a report claimed nearly 20 officers resigned from the force due to unpaid salaries.
A United Nations-backed security mission in Haiti, led by Kenyan forces, has denied reports that some of its officers have gone months without pay.
In a statement on Friday, the Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti (MSS) said it “categorically refutes” reports that officers have not been paid their salaries for three months.
“All MSS staff have received their salaries, including monthly allowances, and no MSS officials have tendered their resignation as alleged,” the statement read.
“MSS agents remain highly motivated and fully committed to supporting the Haitian National Police. [HNP] in carrying out decisive operations aimed at dismantling gang networks and restoring stability.”
The allegations of unpaid salaries come as the MSS struggles to make an impact on conditions in Haiti, where armed gangs have unleashed a wave of violence, wreaking havoc on civilian life and destabilizing the country.
The UN estimates that up to 85 percent of the capital of Port-au-Prince has fallen under gang control. More than 700,000 people are displaced across Haiti as a result of the violence.
Reuters news agency reported in an exclusive article on Friday that nearly 20 Kenyan officers resigned from the MSS over delayed salaries and poor working conditions, citing three sources who spoke on condition of anonymity.
In its statement, MSS said Reuters did not contact the mission for comment before publication, but a spokesperson for the news agency said Reuters stands by the story.
The mission, already heavily scrutinized due to Haiti's poor record of foreign interventions, has made little progress since arriving in the Caribbean island nation in June.
Difficulties related to financing have been present from the beginning. Although originally conceived as a 2,500-strong police mission, Kenya has sent only about 400 officers since June.
Questions have also been raised about the stability of funding from the United States, the mission's main financial support.
While U.S. President Joe Biden's administration has promoted the Kenyan-led effort, it is unclear whether that support will continue in 2025, when Biden is replaced by President-elect Donald Trump.
In response to the lack of funding, officials in the United States and elsewhere have pushed for the UN to launch a peacekeeping mission in Haiti.
But a previous U.N. peacekeeping mission to the country ended in 2017 amid protests over its role in reintroducing cholera to the country and accusations of sexual assault.
Security in Haiti has worsened since the assassination of former President Jovenel Moise in 2021. But even with the presence of the Kenyan force, gang violence has continued to increase and the country continues to struggle to establish stable governance.
Haiti has not held federal elections in years, a fact that gangs have taken advantage of to claim legitimacy.
Additionally, last month, a transitional council tasked with restoring democracy in Haiti fired interim Prime Minister Garry Conille after just six months in office. The move raised more questions about corruption in the transitional government and the future of Haiti's leadership.
