US to provide Haiti with nearly $110 million in security aid

"The security situation in Haiti remains dire due to violence by criminal gangs, and the Haitian people cannot wait," the official said, referring to some debate in the US Congress over the aid.

The fund includes $95 million for security mission support and $15 million for the Haitian National Police to combat gang violence.

Aid to security forces and police is seen as crucial for Haiti, where escalating gang violence has cut off food supplies and forced hundreds of thousands of people from their homes.

Months of gang violence in Haiti have left the government impotent, and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has warned that the country is on the verge of becoming a failed state.

Haiti's main international airport in Port-au-Prince reopened earlier this month, nearly three months after it was closed due to deadly gang-related violence. However, gangs still control much of the capital and Haiti's main seaport remains closed.

Hong Hanh (according to Reuters)