THE United States’ ambassador to the United Nations announced fresh millions for Haiti during a trip to the troubled Caribbean nation on Monday.

Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the US would provide $60 million (£46m) in additional humanitarian assistance to the island.

The ambassador also said the US Defence Department would provide a “substantial increase” in mine-resistant vehicles to support the US-sponsored multinational security mission led by Kenya to help Haiti’s national police combat widespread gang violence.

The announcement came nearly a week after a second Kenyan contingent of 200 police officers arrived in Haiti, following the first tranche of 200 last month.

The multinational force, which will eventually total around 2,500 personnel from Kenya, the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Benin, Chad and Jamaica, is widely viewed in Haiti as a US proxy mission.

The US has provided over $300 million (£232m) to the force, whose formation was supported by a UN resolution.

The US occupied Haiti from 1915 to 1934. In 1994 the US led an “intervention” into Haiti and in 2004 was involved in removing the country’s elected leader Jean-Bertrand Aristide from power.

A 13-year UN peacekeeping mission came under fire for meddling in internal Haitian affairs as well as allegations of sexual and other abuse.