Canada will send navy ships to the Haitian coast in the next few weeks to improve security in Haiti, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said
The purpose of the two ships is to conduct surveillance operations, gather intelligence information and maintain a naval presence, Trudeau said during a visit to Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas, where the summit of heads of state and government of the Association of Caribbean States (CARICOM) is being held, AFP reported.
Trudeau said at a press conference following the summit that the mission of these two ships was to support the Haitian National Police in its measures against gang activity.
Last week, the Office of the United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights called on the international community to urgently deploy a special support force in Haiti, where gang violence has reached levels not seen in decades.
More than half of Haiti is under the control of criminal gangs who kidnap citizens every day for tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars. These victims are often sexually assaulted while being held hostage.
“Right now, Haiti is facing unrelenting gang violence, political turmoil and corruption,” Trudeau said in a statement after meeting with Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry. Armed groups are committing murder, rape and other gender-based violence, kidnapping innocent people and recruiting children to terrorise and subjugate people. This situation concerns us not only in the region, but also in Canada, where we have a large Haitian community.”
Trudeau announced on this occasion that the government will send humanitarian aid worth 12.3 million Canadian dollars (8.36 million euros) to Haiti, as well as provide 10 million Canadian dollars to the International Organisation for Migration, which will be earmarked for assistance to migrants in the region.
In early February, Canada sent a military aircraft equipped with intelligence and reconnaissance capabilities to Haiti to support Port-au-Prince.
At a press conference, the Canadian Prime Minister blamed “a small number of influential families among the elite” for the deteriorating security situation in Haiti.
“We will not be able to deal with this until Haitian elites and leaders are held accountable for their role in this terrible crisis,” Trudeau said, accusing them of fomenting instability and financing violence for their own benefit.
Canada has imposed sanctions specifically against former Haitian President Michel Martelly and two former prime ministers, as well as the country’s only billionaire, Gilbert Bigio.
“We have reason to believe that these individuals are using their notorious elite status in Haiti to protect armed criminal groups and facilitate their activities, such as drug trafficking and other acts of corruption,” Trudeau said, adding that the total number of people subject to Canadian sanctions in Haiti now stands at 17.
