On Thursday, the Haitian government declared that it is investigating the Brigade de Sécurité des Zones Protégées (BSAP), following its transformation from a simple forest guard into a sizable force of well-equipped troops at the service of political interests.
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In 2018 the BSAP had 100 agents, in 2021 there were 121 and now unofficially there are four thousand well-armed men.
What worries the Haitian authorities the most is that this body has gone beyond the limits of its functions of watching over the flora and fauna of the Caribbean country, and is involved with individuals from the political scene, especially the opposition.
The government is seeking the exact number of troops, sources of financing and how they are deployed in the country, even in zones that are not considered protected areas.
According to the digital version of the newspaper Le Nouvelliste, the BSAP is divided into three categories of members, "one part is assigned to the security of the Ministry of Environment, another really does what it can to protect certain protected areas, and a third category is considered free electrons at the service of political interests."
The latter is out of control, the source said.
The tweet reads, "The Minister adds that the government is seeking to resolve the problem of the BSAP, whose estimated 4,000 armed men are beyond the control of the authorities."
The newspaper reports that BSAP members have not been paid their salaries for months, so they are given to pressuring authorities and private businessmen in exchange for money.
They are originally subordinates of the National Agency of Protected Areas, an autonomous department within the Ministry of Environment, which in turn is administered by a council formed by the aforementioned Ministry and the Ministry of Agriculture.
The BSAP is composed mostly of former members of the Haitian armed forces and young people.