US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres discussed urgent security challenges in Haiti, Somalia, and Yemen during a phone call on Friday.
Blinken praised recent achievements by the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission in Haiti, which aims to curb the surge in gang violence following the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in 2021.
The US Secretary also suggested transitioning the MSS to a UN peacekeeping operation for more sustainable support, which is in line with the Haitian government’s request.
The leaders also discussed securing funding for the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) to address ongoing attacks from al-Shabaab. In Yemen, they emphasized the need to secure the release of UN and diplomatic personnel detained by Houthi forces.
