The United States wants a peace mission in Haiti, Canada passes its turn

In the background left, President Joe Biden looks at Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in the foreground, during a G7 meeting in Germany, in June 2022 (photo illustration).

AP - Susan Walsh

Text by: RFI Follow

1 min

Even if Washington wishes it, Canada should not be counted on to lead a peace mission in Haiti.

The pearl of the Antilles is facing a triple crisis: health, humanitarian and security, and Canada has strong ties with the country.

But the Canadian army lacks manpower and is already engaged in Europe.

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With our correspondent in Montreal,

For the Canadian Chief of Defense Staff, the armed forces do not have the capacity to carry out a peace mission in Haiti.

General Wayne Eyre believes that Canada's army is already busy, with its support for Ukraine and NATO.

Seven hundred soldiers are deployed in Latvia to help defend Eastern Europe in the event of Russian attacks, and therefore for the army, an intervention in Haiti would be difficult to mount.

Especially since the Canadian army is short of 16,000 soldiers.

However, Haiti and the United Nations have been asking for months for an international force to support the Haitian police against armed gangs.

And Canada was pressed by Washington to take command of this force.

But Canada has been saying for several months that this is not the choice they are considering.

Justin Trudeau favors a solution that comes from the Haitians themselves.

Nevertheless, he gets involved.

In recent months, Canada has sent armored vehicles ordered by Haiti to better equip the police.

And in February, a patrol plane flying over Port-au-Prince to gather information on the activity of criminal groups.

Groups monitored, but still just as active.

The number of homicides in Haiti has doubled in three years, and that of kidnappings approached 1,400 last year, nearly 20 times more than in 2019.

►Also read Insecurity in Haiti: MSF temporarily closes its hospital in Cité Soleil

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