CanadaB次元官网网址檚 ambassador to the United Nations says a looming military intervention is the best chance Haiti has of uprooting gangs that have wrought escalating chaos on the Caribbean nation for years.
Rae attended a Monday meeting in Jamaica with several Caribbean leaders, along with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, aimed at finding a solution to the crisis.
After the meeting, HaitiB次元官网网址檚 unelected prime minister, Ariel Henry, agreed to leave office once a transitional presidential council is created. The move comes after months of pressure from Canada and its peers.
The council consists of representatives from across HaitiB次元官网网址檚 political spectrum, who agreed to support a United Nations military intervention to clear out violent gangs that have taken over large swaths of the country. There is no timeline for when that council will take power.
Haiti has been in a profound security crisis since mid-2021, and Henry called for an international military intervention in 2022. After debates at the UN over whether to undertake an intervention and who would lead one, Kenya agreed last October to take charge.
The idea has been controversial among Haitians, as well as the large Haitian diaspora in Montreal.
On Tuesday, Frantz Voltaire, who founded a Montreal non-profit focused on Caribbean heritage, said he was worried by the lack of Haitian presence around the table at the meeting in Jamaica.
B次元官网网址淭here are still Haitian personalities and expertise (that could be consulted), but IB次元官网网址檓 quite afraid that weB次元官网网址檙e deciding for Haiti without consulting Haitians from within and from the diaspora,B次元官网网址� he said in French.
Rae challenged those who oppose the intervention to propose another way of ending the chaos.
B次元官网网址淚 would ask a question to those who say B次元官网网址楴o, I donB次元官网网址檛 want an intervention.B次元官网网址� Well, how are you going to solve the problem? The Haitian National Police have accepted that they need our help,B次元官网网址� he said in French.
Meanwhile, hours after HenryB次元官网网址檚 announced resignation, Kenya halted plans to deploy at least 1,000 police officers to Haiti.
KenyaB次元官网网址檚 Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Koriri SingB次元官网网址檕ei said that without a clear administration in place in Haiti, there is no anchor for an international police force, and so the deployment is suspended until Haiti has a newly installed authority.
B次元官网网址淭here has been a fundamental change in circumstances in Haiti as a result of the complete breakdown of law and order,B次元官网网址� SingB次元官网网址檕ei said Tuesday.
Rae said Kenya has B次元官网网址渘o reasonB次元官网网址� to hit the brakes, since Haitians have asked for the intervention and Henry has agreed to cede power to a group that also supports the mission.
The gang chaos has led to a rise in regional gun trafficking that has alarmed the 15-nation Caribbean bloc known as Caricom.
Members of that bloc have previously noted that these guns often come from the United States, and they argue that the deportation of Haitian criminals by the U.S. and Canada has further entrenched gangs in Haiti.
Rae said Canada has a moral duty to help Haiti end an atrocious cycle of violence, and a self-interest in stopping violence, human trafficking and drug smuggling that are related to the gang crisis.
B次元官网网址淲e have to be able to respond to the security crises that are the most important to us, and Haiti is certainly one of those,B次元官网网址� Rae told The Canadian Press in an interview.
B次元官网网址淗aiti is taking so many blows to the head, and itB次元官网网址檚 on the map right now. And you canB次元官网网址檛 let people go through that on their own.B次元官网网址�
On Tuesday, Foreign Affairs Minister M茅lanie Joly welcomed HenryB次元官网网址檚 eventual resignation, and urged the key players in Haiti to work toward ending the ongoing humanitarian, security and political crises.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke with Henry hours before his announcement, and affirmed the close ties between Canada and Haiti, according to a late Monday notice from TrudeauB次元官网网址檚 office.
Henry was in Puerto Rico during the Monday meeting in Jamaica, according to a statement from the U.S. territoryB次元官网网址檚 Department of State, and was taking steps to return to Haiti once feasible.
He had been locked out of his own country while travelling abroad as gangs have overrun much of HaitiB次元官网网址檚 capital and closed down its main international airports.
HaitiB次元官网网址檚 latest security crisis started with mid-2021 assassination of former president Jovenel Mo茂se. Henry was put into power as prime minister with the support of Washington.
Washington had asked Canada to lead an international military intervention, but the federal government has not been eager to step in. Trudeau has cited past missions organized by the UN in which foreign soldiers sexually exploited Haitians and introduced cholera to the country.
Canadian military officials have made similar comments, and argued the Armed Forces does not have the resources to lead an intervention.
OttawaB次元官网网址檚 focus has been to strengthen the Haitian National Police through training, and by co-ordinating with donor countries to make sure officers have the equipment needed to maintain public order. The country does not have a military.
CanadaB次元官网网址檚 ambassador to Haiti, Andr茅 Fran莽ois Giroux, said in a Tuesday interview that CanadaB次元官网网址檚 co-ordination effort has involved 30 donor countries, to prevent duplication and try ensuring officers have interchangeable gear.
Giroux also praised Haitian political leaders for forming an agreement with their political opponents, to put their countryB次元官网网址檚 future above partisanship in order to create the conditions for an eventual election.
B次元官网网址淚t is a marriage of convenience; it is not a natural coalition,B次元官网网址� he said.
Giroux anticipates a rocky transition, but heB次元官网网址檚 optimistic it will restore constitutional order. B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 no guarantee in anything in life,B次元官网网址� he added.
Meanwhile, Ottawa announced last week that it would provide $80.5 million toward the UN-sanctioned mission, while noting that it requires much more money and personnel from other countries.
Last October, federal officials told Parliament that Canada is likely to deploy RCMP officers to Haiti to act as trainers during such a mission, instead of sending troops. CanadaB次元官网网址檚 work would be focused on preventing sexual violence, they said.
Rae and Giroux said that remains the plan.
B次元官网网址淭he capacity to deal with gang warfare is different than dealing with any other kinds of conflict,B次元官网网址� Rae said, adding that Canada is helping with B次元官网网址渃yber capacityB次元官网网址� to sort out what gangs are up to and how best to respond to their attacks.
While Haiti has been in chaos for years, gang violence flared up in late February. By early March, gangs freed thousands of inmates, leading Haiti to declare a state of emergency.
Both Rae and Giroux believe that escalation of violence was caused by gangs realizing an intervention was becoming increasingly likely, and that this will undermine their power.
Some embassies have evacuated non-essential staff during the past week, though CanadaB次元官网网址檚 diplomats are working from their homes in Haiti instead of from the embassy in Port-au-Prince.
Giroux said no staff have been evacuated, though some non-essential staff were outside Haiti when the main airport was taken over, and will continue to work remotely.
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