Justin Tang The Canadian Press “We want to do more. So, therefore, we will continue [our] diplomatic conversations and I would tell you that we will also continue to support solutions which are by and for the Haitians,” declared the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mélanie Joly.
Canada has taken note of the approval by the United Nations Security Council of a multinational mission in Haiti led by Kenya and is determined to “do more” to help the Haitian people, says the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mélanie Joly, without specifying what form of involvement Ottawa could consider.
“We take note of what happened in the Security Council yesterday. You know that Canada has always been involved in issues related to Haiti. We will continue to be,” she said Tuesday in a press scrum.
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Ms. Joly recalled that Canada announced, last March, additional funding of $100 million to help the Haitian people, more precisely by focusing on strengthening the capacities of the Haitian national police.
“But we want to do more. So, therefore, we will continue [our] diplomatic conversations and I would tell you that we will also continue to support solutions that are by and for the Haitians,” she continued.
The Minister mentioned having met, Monday, with the Canadian Ambassador to the UN, Bob Rae, as well as with his Kenyan counterpart, Alfred Mutua, with whom she is “in contact on a very regular basis “.
A first mission in 20 years
The United Nations Security Council voted that day to send a multinational force led by Kenya to Haiti to fight violent gangs in the troubled Caribbean country.
The resolution drafted by the United States was approved with 13 votes in favor and 2 abstentions.
It authorizes the deployment of the force for a period of one year, with a review after nine months. It would be the first time a force has been deployed to Haiti since a UN-approved mission nearly 20 years ago.
No deployment date has been set, although Secretary US State Secretary Antony Blinken recently said a security mission to Haiti could be sent “within a few months.”
Kenyan Minister Alfred Mutua told the BBC that the force should be in Haiti from January 1, 2024, “if not before.”
The extent of this force was not immediately specified. The Kenyan government has already offered to send 1,000 police officers. In addition, Jamaica, the Bahamas and Antigua and Barbuda have also committed to sending personnel.
Canada, for its part, has not specified what role it could play, particularly on the military plan.
Last month, the US government of President Joe Biden promised to provide logistics and US$100 million to support the Kenyan-led force.
With the Associated Press