Canada on Thursday announced 91 million US dollars in aid to Haiti, including about 60 million dollars for the deployment of an international mission led by Kenya to help Haitian police fight criminal gangs.
This is happening when the Caribbean nation is facing a humanitarian crisis.
Canada’s assistance “will help pave the way for more meaningful interventions to protect the Haitian people and encourage Haitian-led efforts to restore peace and prosperity to the country,” Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly said in a statement.
Gangs have been increasing since violence broke out in Haiti in 2021 following the assassination of former President Jovenel Moise.
The war that resulted from the killing has made the government lose control of some areas in the country and conflicts between the police and gangs have increased.
In February of this year, the Canadian government sent a military plane over Haiti to resolve what it called the fragile security situation and disrupt the activities of Haitian gangs.
A Kenyan court recently ruled that the move to send officials to Haiti is unconstitutional. However, President William Ruto’s administration said it would appeal against the decision.
