NAIROBI, Kenya – A United Nations investigation has substantiated four separate allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse committed last year by members of a UN-backed security force in Haiti, a mission led and predominantly staffed by Kenyan troops.
The findings are contained in a confidential UN report dated February 16, 2026, which was first published by the Haitian media outlet AyiboPost on Thursday before being confirmed by Reuters.
According to the report, “All the allegations were found to be substantiated by investigations conducted by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).” The document does not provide specific details on the nature of the incidents or the outcomes of the cases.
The UN body has since referred the results to the leadership of the multinational force for what it called “appropriate investigation and remedial measures.”
Mission Status and Jurisdictional Questions
The security force, now renamed the Gang Suppression Force (GSF), was initially established as the Multinational Security Support Mission (MSSM) and has been led by Kenya since its first deployment in June 2024.
Kenya currently supplies the majority of the approximately 1,000-strong contingent, with smaller numbers contributed by Jamaica, Belize, the Bahamas, Guatemala, and El Salvador.
A spokesperson for the force declined to comment on the substantiated cases.
Marta Hurtado Gomez, a spokesperson for the OHCHR, clarified to AyiboPost that further action on the cases is now the responsibility of the force itself and the contributing nations.
This is because the operation is not a formal UN peacekeeping mission, limiting the UN’s direct disciplinary authority. The force’s members remain subject to the laws of their respective home countries.
A Troubled History
The allegations evoke a painful history of international missions in Haiti. The previous UN peacekeeping mission, known as MINUSTAH, which operated from 2004 to 2017, was plagued by widespread accusations of sexual abuse and exploitation, including allegations involving child victims.
Only a handful of those peacekeepers were ever prosecuted by their home nations.
The new findings place the Kenya-led force in a difficult position as it seeks to portray itself as a professional body bringing stability to Haiti, which is ravaged by powerful gangs.
