UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council voted Tuesday to authorize a much larger, 5,550-member international force to help stop escalating gang violence in Haiti.

The resolution co-sponsored by the United States and Panama will transform the current Kenya-led multinational force into a “Gang Suppression Force” with the power to detain suspected gang members, which the current force does not have.

The vote was 12-0 with Russia, China and Pakistan abstaining.

The first Kenyans arrived in Haiti in June 2024, and the force was supposed to have 2,500 troops, but it has been plagued by a lack of funding and its current strength is below 1,000.

Gangs have grown in power since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021. They now control 90% of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and

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