Canada announced the transfer to Haiti of another batch of armored vehicles that the Caribbean country acquired to deal with the gangs.
“Today [January 11], a Canadian military plane arrived in Port-au-Prince to transfer the armored vehicles to the director general of the Haitian National Police. These vehicles will support efforts (…) to combat gang violence that prevents the provision of critical services and humanitarian aid to Haitian citizens,” the official statement said.
This is the second time that Canada has airlifted vehicles purchased by Haiti to the island. The previous operation was carried out in mid-October.
“Canada continues to support the restoration of peace and security for the Haitian people. The delivery of these Haitian-purchased armored vehicles will help the efforts of the Haitian National Police to provide urgently needed humanitarian assistance and prevent further criminal acts of violence,” said Defense Minister Anita Anand.
Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly reaffirmed that “Canada will not sit idly by while gangs and their supporters continue to terrorize Haiti’s vulnerable communities with impunity.”
“We will continue to increase the pressure by imposing sanctions against Haitian elites, for corruption. Canada calls on the international community to follow our example and help the Haitian people face complex challenges and violence in their country,” she declared.
The largest French-speaking nation in the Caribbean remains mired in a sociopolitical crisis, exacerbated by violence from criminal gangs, following the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (Acnudh), Volker Turk, said that at least 1,448 people were killed, 1,145 injured and 1,005 kidnapped by gangs in the period from January 1 to December 9, 2022.
With information from Sputnik