Belize Hesitant to Send More Soldiers to Haiti?

Media in Haiti are reporting that the Belizean government is hesitant in sending more Belize Defence Force soldiers to Haiti. This comes after Minister of Foreign Affairs, Francis Fonseca, told Belizean press that Cabinet was recently briefed on the matter by the Ministry of National Defence and Border Security. He said that guidelines remain. “I think there are a few outstanding issues that have to be resolved in terms of ensuring that our soldiers are ready. They have been training. So I think, around the end of the month, they will do another assessment. Around the end of January, they’ll do another assessment of where they are, and then they will report back to Cabinet.”

Belize joins Barbados as the second country to delay or reconsider its plans to send troops to Haiti.

Earlier this month, a contingent of 150 Guatemalan soldiers was deployed to Haiti to support an international mission aimed at restoring order in a country plagued by violent gangs.

Belize’s involvement currently includes two Belize Defence Force officers as part of the CARICOM Joint Task Force.

Haiti remains in a state of emergency, with gangs controlling much of Port-au-Prince and having freed approximately 3,700 inmates earlier this year in major prison breaks. Kenya has contributed nearly 400 police officers as part of the mission, which is expected to include 2,500 officers from multiple countries.