The Government of Barbados has announced the suspension of plans to deploy troops to Haiti as part of a multinational mission supporting the Haitian National Police (PNH) under the auspices of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
Barbados had initially committed to contributing a contingent from the Barbados Defense Force (BDF) to the United Nations-led effort. However, on Thursday, Minister of Foreign Affairs Kerrie Symmonds revealed that escalating dangers in Haiti have prompted a reassessment of the mission.
“We are mindful of this [increasing danger], and you don’t want to send people in harm’s way […] and the truth is that, it has to be a properly strategically planned activity. And we cannot safely say right now, that there has been the level of strategic planning at the global level that we would have wanted,” said Symmonds.
He further clarified that Barbados would now limit its involvement to providing technical assistance. “Our troops aren’t going anywhere at this point. We have indicated to everybody that Barbados would want to lend technical assistance wherever possible; and we are not at this point thinking in terms of any boots on the ground in Haiti. When I say technical assistance, there may be people with specialist skills whether medical, training, whatever…”
Symmonds also pointed to shifting international priorities, particularly from the United States, as a contributing factor to the delay in coordinated action. “[…] we had expected confidently that the Biden White House would continue to be supportive. The election intervened, and America has pretty much stalled; and with that, the rest of the world has gone on pause [on Haiti],” he noted.
He emphasized the urgency of addressing the ongoing crisis in Haiti and expressed hope for renewed engagement from the U.S. following its presidential transition.
“Now that the Democrats have lost, they have gone silent and there has been no progress, and we have to see what will happen with the Trump administration [..] if it is that we have to wait until January 20 when a new administration is in place in the United States, so be it […] our foreign policy will be the same. We are going to reach out to them, and we are going to ask them to understand that Haiti cannot continue in the way it is going. And that the commitments which the United States had given before should stand, because we are talking about human beings and the welfare of human beings in the Caribbean,” he stated.
The announcement underscores the complexities of international efforts to stabilize Haiti amid worsening security and political conditions.
