OTTAWA 鈥 Canada wants a more robust military force to help bring order to Haiti, but will not be putting troops into that operation, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said Tuesday.
Anand is at the United Nations General Assembly this week, where she announced Canada would provide $60 million to operations to stabilize Haiti. Of that funding, $40 million is contingent on the passage of a UN resolution restructuring the current mission in the country.
Haiti has been in a state of chaos since at least 2021, when then-president Jovenel Mo茂se was assassinated. The country has become lawless with gangs controlling most territory, 1.3 million people displaced and thousands killed.
Kenyan police have led a mission in Haiti over the last year, but have struggled to restore order. The mission is not an official UN peacekeeping mission, which would come with more resources, but it does have the support of the UN. Kenyan President William Ruto met with Prime Minister Mark Carney this week on the sidelines of the general assembly, where Carney thanked him for Kenya’s leadership. One Kenyan police officer has been killed during the mission in a shootout with gang members.听
The United States and Panama are proposing a UN resolution to restructure the current mission in Haiti. It would lead to a new UN office in the capital听Port-au-Prince to听oversee a more robust mission with a target of deploying more than 5,000 troops. Anand said Canada’s $40 million would go to support that mission and the new UN office, but only if that UN resolution passes.听
鈥淜enya has done a very solid job, but we need to ensure that more and more countries can participate in this effort,鈥 she said. 鈥淲e are going to be supporting greater and greater involvement by the United Nations on the ground, recognizing that gang violence is a threat to the safety and security of the Haitian people.鈥
The current mission ties Kenyan police to working with the Haitian police, while the U.S. proposal would give them more latitude to operate independently. The UN Security Council is set to discuss Haiti at a meeting next week.听
Canada has removed diplomats from its embassy in Haiti because of the security concerns on the ground. It has been a significant financial backer of the country, committing $100 million to support the Haitian police and $86 million to support the Kenyan mission.听
Canada has historically played a major role in Haitian peacekeeping missions and during former U.S. President Joe Biden鈥檚 administration Canada was asked to consider a military mission in the country.
Anand said Canada is not planning to send troops.
鈥淭hat is not being contemplated at the current time,鈥 she said.
Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request.
There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again.
You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our and . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google and apply.
Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page.
To join the conversation set a first and last name in your user profile.
Sign in or register for free to join the Conversation