BDF Commander on Haiti Deployment

In mid-September, Belize Defence Force officers Ermil Coh and Claudio Quiroz arrived in Haiti to support a critical multinational security mission aimed at restoring order and paving the way for free and fair elections.

The senior officers departed Belize on September 7 and landed at Toussaint Louverture International Airport as part of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2699. The resolution enables CARICOM countries to collaborate on stabilising Haiti, where escalating gang violence has hindered the country’s ability to hold elections.

Coh and Quiroz joined an initial CARICOM contingent that included 20 soldiers and four police officers.

Two BDF officers have already been deployed as part of an advance team, working with the Jamaica-led Hurricane Joint Task Force. Their objective is to ensure that everything is in place for a potential larger deployment of forces from both Belize and Jamaica, should the need arise.

Commander of the B.D.F., Brig. Gen. Azariel Loria, confirmed that while no set date has been confirmed for the larger deployment, Loria stated that it could happen at any time. “It could be tomorrow, it could be January, it could be February,” he noted, adding that the decision will be made in consultation with the Ministry of National Defence and the Cabinet.

“These two officers are serving as staff officers, gathering information on the situation on the ground and sending it back to us,” Loria explained. “Based on their reports, and once we receive the necessary kit and equipment, we will deploy the rest of our soldiers. But we will not deploy until conditions are favourable.”

He also responded to concerns about the allowance package for deployed soldiers, which had sparked complaints among some ranks. Brig. Gen. Loria contrasted the current allowance package with what soldiers received during his earlier missions. “It’s a platoon of us that deployed back in ’94. And then we had rotations. All that we were provided in terms of allowance per diem was five dollars a day. Five US dollars a day to deploy in a hostile situation. And we deployed under Chapter 7 of the U.N. operation. So, we were allowed to use our weapons, deadly force, as the case may be. Five dollars. We did it. I did it because I wanted experience. The soldiers wanted experience. And we did it from the heart, from the willingness to serve, from the heart. From the willingness to serve, going there to Haiti and trying to make a difference. Now, the allowances that will be provided to the soldiers, the 30 or so soldiers that will be deploying, they are going to get 50 US dollars a day plus the allowances that you have. 50 U.S. dollars a day, plus what you have mentioned about the risk and hardship allowance, in addition to the fifty. So you can do the math.”

Haiti’s government, weakened by political infighting, has been unable to rein in the escalating power of armed gangs in and around the capital. These groups have been accused of carrying out indiscriminate killings, gang rapes, and ransom kidnappings while also exacerbating food shortages across affected communities.