WASHINGTON 

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio pleaded Thursday for individual nations in Latin America and beyond to assist ongoing efforts to stabilize the impoverished Caribbean island nation of Haiti.

Rubio made the appeal as he hosted Kenyan President William Ruto at the State Department for a signing ceremony, hailing Nairobi's "extraordinary role, really heroic role, in trying to help stabilize Haiti" as Washington seeks to move to a new phase in Haiti that the top diplomat said will focus on the standing up of a "gang suppression force."

"We understand and believe they cannot do it by themselves. So I wanted to use this as an opportunity to continue to encourage countries in the region and around the world to step up and contribute and be a part of this effort. We need their money. We need their funds, and we need their personnel as well to make this work," he said.

"If we had five or 10 countries willing to step forward and do just half of what Kenya has done already, it would be an extraordinary achievement, and we hope that that will happen. It needs to happen if we're serious about it. It needs to happen," he added.

Kenya has taken the lead role in efforts to stabilize Haiti, which has been beset by civil strife, gang violence, and biting poverty for years.

The United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti said last month that there were 1,247 murders and 710 people injured in attacks in Haiti from July through September.

While 30% of the murders were attributed to gang-related violence, the report indicated that the majority of deaths -- 61% -- resulted from operations by Haitian security forces. The deaths occurred during ground operations, drone strikes, and through the excessive use of force, including summary executions.

An additional 9% of the killings were linked to self-defense groups and lynch mobs.

The report highlighted the trafficking and exploitation of children by gangs as one of Haiti’s gravest human rights concerns.

According to official data, at least 302 children were recruited by gangs in 2024, though the UN notes that the real number is likely much higher.