Ottawa announced Thursday that it will lead a cell to coordinate international aid in Haiti to better support local police forces in a country plagued by extreme gang violence.
The objective is to improve “the coordination and mobilization of international efforts in terms of security assistance, working in close collaboration with the Haitian National Police, international partners and the United Nations”, indicated the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Canadian Foreign Affairs in a press release.
By acting as an interlocutor between the international community and the Haitian authorities, Canada is determined to “support Haitian-led solutions,” assured Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly.
“The situation on the ground is extremely fragile and the needs are immense,” she said.
This announcement comes more than six months after the call of the Haitian Prime Minister, relayed by the UN, to send an international armed force to fight against gangs. Few countries said they were volunteers, and none wished to take the lead in such an operation.
Ottawa plans to open an office “as of this summer” in the Dominican Republic, a country bordering Haiti, to carry out its coordination mission.
The government also announced a new investment of 13 million Canadian dollars (9 million euros) in United Nations programs to support the Haitian police force.
It comes on top of the $100 million announced in March by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during the visit of US President Joe Biden.
The Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs also added two former senators to the list of Haitian elites sanctioned for being accused of supporting gangs, bringing the total to 21 people.