UNITED NATIONS security council members examined a draft resolution circulated by the United States and Ecuador today asking the UN to begin planning for a peacekeeping operation in Haiti.

The proposed mission would replace the US-backed Kenya-led mission now in place in the impoverished Caribbean country.

The proposed resolution says UN peacekeepers are needed to sustain the gains made by the multinational mission which has seen almost 400 Kenyan police deployed since June to help Haitian police.

The draft resolution claims “the situation in Haiti continues to constitute a threat to international peace and security and to stability in the region.”

It would extend the mandate of the multinational “security support” mission until October 2 2025 while the UN plans a transition to a peacekeeping operation.

The circulation of the short resolution to all 15 council members follows US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Haiti on Thursday, where he reaffirmed US commitment to the multinational mission and pushed for long-awaited general elections.

Mr Blinken said a UN peacekeeping force was an option to address a funding crisis for the Kenya-led mission, which depends on voluntary contributions, with the US and Canada having provided the bulk of funds so far. Peacekeeping operations, by contrast, are funded from a special UN budget.

The US has continually used the UN to interfere in the internal affairs of Haiti.

The UN sent in a US-backed force in 2004 — but it was forced to leave under a cloud after being blamed for introducing cholera, which has killed about 10,000 people in Haiti since 2010. Troops were also implicated in sexual abuse, including rape and the targeting of hungry children.

Given their past experiences, many Haitians have labelled the proposals for a UN peacekeeping operation as an occupying force.