The U.N. Security Council approved a resolution to deploy a 5,550-member international “Gang Suppression Force” in Haiti to combat escalating gang violence.

The force, an expansion of the current Kenya-led multinational mission, will have powers to arrest gang members and protect critical infrastructure.

The resolution, co-sponsored by the U.S. and Panama, passed 12-0, with Russia, China, and Pakistan abstaining.

Gangs now control 90% of Port-au-Prince and have extended violence into the countryside since President Jovenel Moïse’s assassination in 2021, the Associated Press has reported.

The new mission, authorized under Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter, will operate for 12 months with the goal of restoring security, supporting Haitian police, and facilitating political and economic recovery.

Haiti’s transitional council welcomed the vote as a major step against criminal groups.