Canada deploys patrol aircraft to support Haiti

By Sherrica Thompson

Staff Writer

#Haiti, February 9, 2023 – After months of calls for an international intervention in Haiti to assist the country with its ongoing security crisis, the Canadian government has finally decided to send military support.

On Sunday, February 5, the government announced that it has deployed a Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) CP-140 Aurora long-range patrol aircraft to address the dire security situation in the French Caribbean nation and support the Haitian National Police.

According to the Canadian government, the patrol aircraft will provide intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capability to bolster efforts to establish and maintain peace and security for the people of Haiti.

The CP-140 aircraft has already been deployed to the region and is currently operating over Haiti.  The government did not state how long the aircraft will remain in the region or whether it is working on other security measures to assist Haiti.

In October last year, Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres proposed that one or several countries send “a rapid action force” to help Haiti’s police remove a threat posed by armed gangs who have been terrorizing the people of Haiti and add to the country’s crisis.

While most countries have been shying away from sending troops into Haiti, countries in the Americas have been pledging to give their support. Just recently, Prime Minister of Jamaica Andrew Holness said his country would be willing to participate, and El Salvador has also offered support through “technical assistance”.