Canada has dispatched a patrol plane to Haiti to assist authorities in their fight against armed gang violence in the Caribbean country, Ottawa said on Sunday.
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The aircraft, a Canadian Air Force long-range CP-140 Aurora patrol aircraft with reconnaissance and surveillance capabilities, will support efforts to “destabilize gang activity in Haiti,” Canada’s defense and foreign ministries said in a press release.
Ottawa stressed that its assistance “to address the precarious security situation in Haiti and in support of the Haitian National Police” is being provided “in response to the country’s request for assistance” as violence in Haitian territory continues to escalate.
The device is already operational in the region, but Ottawa does not specify the duration of its mission.
Canada “will continue to support the Haitian people and seek ways to help them emerge from this crisis,” adds Ottawa, noting in particular that the Canadian government “has also imposed sanctions on those responsible for the current violence including Haitian elites who advocate gangs”.
Armed gangs control much of Haiti and the UN was alarmed in late January that “gang-related violence has reached levels not seen in decades”.