Haiti gang violence: Central American navy police arrive to assist govt efforts in Caribbean island

Round 150 navy cops from Central America have begun arriving in Haiti to assist the federal government’s effort to fight violent gangs which have destabilised life for thousands and thousands on the Caribbean island.

The primary group of 75 troops, primarily from Guatemala with a smaller contingent from El Salvador, arrived Friday at Toussaint Louverture Worldwide Airport in Port-au-Prince. They have been greeted by high Haitian officers, safety leaders, and US Ambassador to Haiti Dennis Hankins. A second group of comparable dimension is predicted Saturday to hitch the United Nations-backed mission geared toward restoring order.

Haiti has been grappling with escalating gang violence, significantly because the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise. Gangs are estimated to regulate roughly 85 per cent of the capital, launching coordinated assaults on prisons, police stations, and even the principle worldwide airport.

On Christmas Eve, gunmen opened hearth on a crowd celebrating the reopening of Haiti’s largest public hospital, which had been shuttered earlier this 12 months following gang violence. Two journalists masking the occasion and a police officer have been killed in what authorities described as one of the vital brazen assaults but.

The worldwide safety mission has thus far been led by round 400 officers from Kenya. Further personnel from the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Benin, and Chad have been pledged, nevertheless it stays unclear when they may arrive.

The newly deployed Central American forces mark a major growth of worldwide efforts to assist Haiti’s embattled authorities because it struggles to revive security and stability.

With inputs from AP