According to the Canadian foreign ministry, Canada yesterday supplied armored vehicles to Haiti to aid in the fight against criminal gangs there as the Caribbean country grapples with a humanitarian catastrophe.
In the nation’s capital, Port-au-Prince, Canadian military planes delivered the equipment to the Haitian National Police. Since President Jovenel Moise’s murder in 2021, Haitian gangs have mostly taken over the nation, which has resulted in frequent gunfights with authorities.
- Advertisement -
Last year, hundreds of people lost their lives in turf wars, and in September, Haitian gangs stopped a petroleum terminal for over six weeks, stopping most of the economic activity.
After Haiti pleaded with the international community to send in a “specialized armed force,” Canada and the United States offered tactical and armored vehicles as well as other equipment in October. Ottawa has also imposed sanctions on Haitians, including a former president, two former prime ministers, and three well-known businessmen, who are said to have connections to gangs.
Yesterday in Mexico City, Justin Trudeau, the prime minister of Canada, told reporters that the relief and penalties were “making a difference” in Haiti.
“We’re all very aware that things could get worse in Haiti and that’s why Canada and partners, including the United States, are preparing various scenarios if it does start to get worse,” he added.
While visiting the North American Leaders’ Summit with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, U.S. President Joe Biden, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Trudeau emphasized that while Canada would continue to offer assistance, the Haitian situation must be handled domestically. “What is particularly important in this situation is that the Haitian people themselves be at the center of the support, the building of stability, and the res
