A US peacekeeping operation in Haiti would cost twice as much as the current United Nations mission there, the US’s Government Accountability Office has found, in a study that is likely to bolster the UN’s case before critical congressional paymasters.

“The UN budgeted $428m for the first 14 months of this mission. A US operation in Haiti of the same size and duration would cost an estimated $876m, far exceeding the US contribution for Minustah [the UN mission] of $116m,” the GAO said in a report this week.