New Delhi, Sept. 4 -- The United States and Panama are urging the U.N. Security Council to authorize a 5,550-member force with the power to detain gang members in Haiti to help stop the escalating violence.

The two countries outlined their proposal to transform the Kenya-led multinational force now deployed in the Caribbean nation into a much larger force in a draft resolution to the U.N. Security Council obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press.

The first Kenyans arrived in Haiti in June 2024 and the force was supposed to have 2,500 troops, but it has been plagued by a lack of funding and its current strength is below 1,000.

Gangs have grown in power since the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in 2021. They now control 90% of...