Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness has confirmed that the Government intends to send troops to Haiti as part of a multinational force to address the ongoing security issues in the Caribbean nation.
Holness made the announcement while speaking at a quarterly press conference on Thursday. He reminded that Jamaica was the first country to commit to sending members of the island’s security forces to assist Haiti.
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He said, “In fact, you could say that Jamaica’s statement would have started an interest in the situation in Haiti.”
Bahamas has since committed 150 security personnel to join those being sent by Kenya, if the UN authorizes the multinational force.
Holness reiterated that they can’t do 1,000 troops like African nations have committed to, but the “commitment has always been (to send troops), with the appropriate jurisdictional arrangement”.
The announcement comes days after a request by United Nations (UN) Secretary General Antonio Guterres that Haiti’s neighbors join forces with Kenya, which last week said it was sending 1,000 police officers to help stem the gang violence in Haiti.
Holness said he was “very happy” that Kenya is on board to assist Haiti’s security issues, and informed that he also had long discussions with Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame, and the African leader has also committed to support Haiti.
“So, it seems like things are coming together. The UN secretary general has also been doing great work in trying to secure such a (multinational) force, so as it now, Jamaica’s commitment still stands,” stated Holness.
