Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada will deploy navy vessels to Haiti for intelligence-gathering purposes to quell Haiti’s growing gang violence.
The worsening violence in Haiti, where there has been a surge in killings, rapes and kidnappings blamed on Haitian gangs emboldened since the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise, has been the focus of Caribbean leaders meeting in the Bahamas for the annual CARICOM summit.
"We are working closely together to help address the political, security and humanitarian crisis in Haiti," Trudeau said in a speech Thursday at the conference. Canada's move to send ships comes shortly after the return of one of its surveillance planes on a similar mission to collect intelligence for Haitian police.
Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry has pleaded for a full-fledged international military intervention of stem the mayhem. His country requested help from the United Nations Security Council in October and has suggested the U.S. and Canada lead a force. No such intervention has come together, and neither country has offered to take the lead.
As the meeting of CARICOM leaders opened Wednesday, Secretary-General Carla Barnett reiterated the preference for finding a Haiti-led solution to the country’s challenges.
“Even as progress is being made on some fronts, CARICOM and indeed the wider international community continue to struggle to help Haiti resolve its multifaceted crises,” Barnett said. “We will continue our efforts to assist all stakeholders in Haiti to ensure a Haitian-owned resolution to the crises.”
Barnett said the region’s leaders “will have to show the resilience and fortitude of the Haitian people” in resolving regional challenges and improving the lives of people in the Caribbean community. She added that the goal is creating a “safe, sustainable, prosperous and viable community for all.”
In addition to leaders from CARICOM’s 15 member states, representatives from other nations are also participating in the meeting, including Canada and the United States.
Some information for this report came from The Associated Press and Reuters.
