The United States has announced plans to provide Haiti with weapons and armed vehicles in an effort to counter the numerous challenges facing the country.
This was disclosed during a high-level virtual meeting convened on Friday, at the initiative of the United States to address the security, political and economic challenges in Haiti and to offer possibilities of support to the Haitian people.
Haiti was represented at this meeting by the Haitian Chancellor Jean-Victor Généus and the Ambassador of Haiti in Washington, Edmond Bocchit.
The meeting was led by the Assistant Secretary of State for Americas Affairs, Brian A. Nichols.
According to Chancellor Généus, the Haitian Government had made specific requests – for “ the training of police officers, the equipment of armaments necessary to face the firepower of the gangs and an intelligence service to accompany the dismantling of the gangs.”
“We agree that the Haitian National Police need additional support from the international community,” he said while stressing that a broad consensus existed that the situation in Haiti was above all “ a police challenge and not a military one.
Meanwhile, Todd Robinson the Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INL) announced that in the first half of 2022, trainers will be in Haiti to support the national police.
“There will be armored vehicles, troop carriers, lethal weapons to fight the gangs,” said Généus, who said that “Americans seem to have changed their minds whereas previously they were opposed to providing lethal weapons to Haiti.
For his part, Nichols said a lot of work still needs to be done, but the Haitian police are looking forward to the promised delivery.
CMC
