Haiti: May Receive Foreign Troops Within 21 Days

May 2, 2024 Hour: 12:58 pm

On Thursday, official sources said that the Haitian National Police (HNP) could be receiving reinforcements from foreign troops as early as 23 May, a development that raises both hopes and concerns in the West Indian nation.

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So far, seven countries from Africa, Asia and the Caribbean have indicated their willingness to provide men for the Multinational Security Support Mission to be deployed in Haiti.

These countries are Kenya – which offered to lead the operations – Benin and Chad among the Africans; Bahamas, Jamaica and Barbados among the Caribbean countries, as well as Bangladesh.

Among the nations mentioned, Chad and Bangladesh have experience in international peacekeeping deployments, but the UN has always made it clear that the task now will be to support the HNP in the fight against armed gangs.

‘KENYA TROOP DEPLOYMENTS TO BEGIN BY MONTH’S END’
FOREIGN Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell said Kenya is expected to begin deploying troops to Haiti on May 26.https://t.co/izfS7Rea9T pic.twitter.com/Oxx37yNT6E

— Tribune242 (@Tribune242)
May 2, 2024

Of the $300 million pledged for this effort, the US pledged $120 million and has only raised less than $20 million.

The UN urged member states to be more generous and fill the gap to meet all needs.

According to a senior official in US President Joe Biden’s administration, the cost of the intervention mission in Haiti is between 515 and 600 million dollars over two years, without taking into account the needs on the ground.

In this context, the leader of the armed gang alliance Viv Ansanm, Jimmy Cherizier, alias Barbecue, stressed that his coalition would wage a battle to free Haiti from the clutches of traditional politicians and corrupt oligarchs.

To the Multinational Haitian National Police Support Mission, Barbecue said: no one can scare us, make us believe that we are going to be kicked out of our country.

We are the sons of Dessalines. “We are not making a peaceful revolution. We are making a bloody revolution,” said the former policeman, who blamed the United States, Canada and France for a bloodbath in Haiti.