(San Juan) Armored vehicles from Canada arrived in Haiti on Saturday to help police fight a powerful gang, as the local government calls for the immediate deployment of foreign troops. However, this possibility is not immediately supported by Ottawa, which still favors an internal solution.
Posted at 7:40 a.m.
Updated at 4:58 p.m.
“The lasting solution to the security problem in Haiti is the strengthening of the National Police of Haiti [PNH] “said the Canadian Ambassador to Haiti, Sébastien Carrière, during an interview with Radio-Canada.
The diplomat pleads for tougher sanctions against criminals who take the population hostage and those who support them. On show Behind the scenes of powerhe said he was not ready to immediately endorse the use of an international armed force as demanded by the Haitian Prime Minister, Ariel Henri.
A position supported by the independent researcher of Haitian origin Jean-Claude Icart, according to whom a foreign intervention in Haiti is not desirable for the moment.
“It’s been said for a while that for the police [haïtienne], it will take reinforcement, but not only armored vehicles, but also in terms of organization, intelligence services. These are the things that are important,” he says.
What is more, the solution to the current insecurity in the Caribbean country is not only a matter of security, insists the expert.
“It’s not just a police matter. We wanted to make this crisis a matter of security, but to meet the demands of the population, we would first have to listen to them and I’m not sure that will happen, ”he explains.
military aid
A statement from the US State Department, which also helped deliver the military equipment that arrived on Saturday, said it was purchased by the Haitian government, but did not provide further details on the supplies being transported to the capital of Port-au-Prince. This is a joint operation involving the United States Air Force and the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF).
“Canadian and American military aircraft are delivering equipment and supplies—purchased by the Haitian government—to the Haitian National Police. This material will help the police in their fight against criminal gangs and will help improve security, ”wrote for his part on Twitter the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau.
The U.S. State Department issued a similar statement that the equipment will assist the Haitian National Police “in its fight against criminal actors who foment violence and disrupt the flow of much-needed humanitarian assistance, hampering efforts to halt the spread of cholera”.
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said there were more than 560 suspected cases of cholera, some 300 hospitalizations and at least 35 deaths. Experts warning that the numbers are likely much higher than reported.
Fuel Terminal Under Siege
The military equipment delivered on Saturday arrived more than a month after one of Haiti’s most powerful gangs surrounded a fuel terminal and demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry.
Demonstrators also blocked roads in major cities to protest the sharp rise in fuel prices after Mr Henry announced in early September that his administration could no longer afford to subsidize fuel.
Since then, gas stations have closed, hospitals have reduced services, and banks and grocery stores have opened on a limited basis as supplies of fuel, water, and other resources dwindle across Haiti.
Owners of the fuel terminal announced on Saturday that gunmen attacked their facility for the second time and made off with more than 28,000 gallons of petroleum products after overpowering the facility’s surveillance and emergency personnel.
It was the second time this week that gunmen broke into the terminal, which stores more than 10 million gallons of gasoline and diesel and more than 800,000 gallons of jet fuel.
With the Associated Press