"Today, U.S. and Canadian military aircraft arrived in Port-au-Prince, Haiti to transfer vital Haitian government-purchased security equipment, including tactical and armored vehicles, and supplies to the Director General of the Haitian National Police (HNP). The delivery of the equipment was part of a joint operation involving U.S. Air Force and Royal Canadian Air Force aircraft," the joint Saturday statement says.
According to the release, the US and Canada are working on strengthening Haiti’s capacity to train additional police officers and improve law enforcement operations.
The delivered equipment "will assist the HNP in their fight against criminal actors who are fomenting violence and disrupting the flow of critically-needed humanitarian assistance, hindering efforts to halt the spread of cholera," the US and Canadian governments said.
Earlier this week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the Biden administration was imposing visa restrictions on Haitian gang members while boosting its security assistance to HNP in an effort to restore law and order to the crisis-plagued Caribbean nation. In addition, the US government is seeking to accelerate the delivery of additional humanitarian relief to the people of Haiti, Blinken said.
14 October 2022, 16:00 GMT
Earlier this month, the Organization of American States (OAS) condemned the ongoing gang violence in Haiti which is beset by water and fuel shortages coupled with a cholera outbreak.
Last week, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on the UN Security Council (UNSC) to consider Haiti’s request for the deployment of an international contingent in the country.