October 28, 2022, 4:00 AM
October 28, 2022, 4:00 AM
Canada announced yesterday that it was carrying out an evaluation mission in Haiti, while the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, arrived in Ottawa to discuss the establishment of an intervention force in the troubled Caribbean country.
The Canadian delegation must evaluate the options “to support the Haitian people in resolving the humanitarian and security crises” facing the impoverished country and “restoring access to essential goods and services”, in consultation with regional partners of the United Nations, the Caribbean Community (Caricom) and others, according to a statement from the Canadian government.
The mission comes after appeals from the Government of Haiti and UN Secretary General António Guterres for international intervention as armed gangs take over large swaths of the country and a cholera outbreak worsens.
But the idea of an intervention force generates suspicion in part of the Haitian population and in the UN Security Council, which last week unanimously approved a resolution against gang leaders but without mentioning a multinational force.
Also, no country offered to lead such a mission and the United States said that it will support it but without taking the lead.
