(OTTAWA) Haiti’s beleaguered government accuses Canada of delaying its promised delivery of armored vehicles and says the delay is hampering a plan to eliminate violent gangs from Port-au-Prince.
In an interview on Haitian radio, Acting Minister of Justice Emmelie Prophète-Milcé said in French that the company supplying the tanks “has not kept its word”.
For months, violent gangs have controlled much of the Haitian capital, leading to a shortage of basic necessities and medical care as well as an increase in sexual assaults.
As part of Canada’s response, Ottawa says it has airlifted armored vehicles that the Haitian government has purchased, which could obviate the need for international military intervention.
Butme Prophet-Milcé says that the majority of the 18 armored vehicles ordered by her country have not yet arrived, and she claims that “the police could implement their strategy if all the armored vehicles were delivered on time”.
Global Affairs Canada has been asked to respond to these allegations.