Guyana to financially support Haiti’s peacekeeping mission

Last Updated on Tuesday, 27 February 2024, 14:11 by Denis Chabrol

Guyana has pledged to provide additional financial support to the United Nations (UN)-led peacekeeping mission to Haiti, according to United States (US) Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield.

“Guyana has committed to additional funding. I don’t know what the amount is but the President has committed to providing additional funding, in addition to supporting the security needs, supporting humanitarian needs moving forward,” she told a news conference on Monday after meeting Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders who are holding their mid-term summit in Guyana.

Jamaica is coordinating CARICOM’s support for the peacekeeping mission which Ms Thomas-Greenfield said the US, Canada, France and the United Kingdom were eager to get off the ground.

However, she said the largely English-speaking bloc of nations had told mission planners that they were hamstrung with a language barrier. “One of the things that they said to me is that they are English-speaking. They are not French-speaking. They want more French-speaking countries and we look forward to supporting this effort,” she said. Previously, the US had said that Dominica and St Lucia- where French Creole is also spoken- would be sending interpreters. The Bahamas’ Prime Minister, Phillip Davis said his country would pr0vide marine support to the peacekeeping mission.

French-speaking Benin, a West African nation, she said, has promised to provide 2,000 troops to join the peacekeeping mission that would be led by Kenya.

She said the US was committed to supporting the multinational force with equipment and “a lot of the logistical support” rather than deploying American troops. “Haiti does not need what appears to be an occupying power in Haiti and this is why we think its support that the region be engaged and that African countries have been engaged,” she said.  The US, she said has committed to provide US$200 million for mission support.

While  the US envoy to the UN said no date has been fixed for Haiti’s elections, she stressed the importance of providing support to Haiti’s National Police, creating the conditions for free and fair elections and improving conditions for humanitarian aid to reach the population of over 8 million persons.

Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield highlighted the need to hear from the Haitian opposition “what they are for, not what they are against” as part of a process by the Henry-led administration to build hope.. “It is important that they all sit down and find an agreement on the path forward” she said.