Haiti receives armored vehicles from the US and Canada to fight gangs
The equipment sent to the Caribbean country will help it fight criminal gangs that “incite violence and impede the flow of critically needed humanitarian aid”, both countries said.
Haitians are experiencing a catastrophic famine due to gangsters blocking the main fuel terminal. (AFP archive)
US and Canadian military aircraft have delivered tactical and armored vehicles and other supplies to the Haitian National Police (HNP) to help fight the criminal gangs that have exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in Haiti.
“This equipment will help the HNP fight against criminal actors who incite violence and disrupt the flow of critically needed humanitarian aid, hampering efforts to stop the spread of cholera,” the US and Canadian governments said in a joint statement on Saturday.
Haitians are experiencing a catastrophic famine due to gangsters blocking a major fuel terminal, UN officials said Friday, and more than four million people face acute food insecurity.
A coalition of gangs has been blocking the distribution of diesel and petrol for more than a month in protest at a plan to cut fuel subsidies.
Most transport is stopped, and robberies and gang clashes are becoming more frequent.
READ MORE: The US will help Haitian police fight gangs, but will not deploy troops
The UN is considering sanctions
The UN Security Council is considering creating a sanctions regime to impose asset freezes, travel bans and arms embargoes on anyone who threatens the peace, security or stability of Haiti, according to a draft resolution obtained by the Reuters news agency on Thursday.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres proposed that one or more countries send a “rapid action force” to help Haitian police deal with the threat posed by gangs, according to a letter to the Security Council seen by Reuters.
The US-Mexico-drafted resolution will take note of Guterres’ letter and urge “the immediate deployment of a multinational rapid-action force in support of the HNP, as recommended in the Secretary-General’s letter.”
The 15-member Security Council could vote on the draft resolution as early as Monday, diplomats said. Nine votes in favor and no vetoes from permanent members Russia, China, the United States, France or Britain are needed to pass the resolution.
READ MORE:
Report: UN Considers Sanctions Against Haitian Gang Boss ‘Roštilj’, Others
Source: Reuters
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