A group of 150 Guatemalan soldiers has arrived in Haiti to assist in restoring order in the midst of the turmoil caused by armed gangs.
Guatemala’s government reported that an initial batch of 75 soldiers arrived on Friday, followed by another 75 on Saturday. The soldiers were selected from the military police for deployment.
The government has been grappling with the dominance of violent gangs in the Caribbean nation’s capital, Port-au-Prince, leading to the implementation of a state of emergency that has been in effect for several months.
A United Nations-backed security mission led by Kenya has been deployed in Haiti to enhance stability and security. However, despite their presence, the mission has struggled to effectively curb the escalation of violence in the country.
In June and July of last year, Kenya dispatched approximately 400 police officers to aid in the fight against the gangs.
The initial batch consisted of 2,500 officers from different countries, forming part of a larger UN-approved international force.
Jamaica, Belize, and El Salvador have also deployed a small number of forces to Haiti as part of the mission. Additionally, the United States is the largest funder of the operation.
In March 2024, approximately 3,700 inmates were freed as armed gangs raided Haiti’s two largest prisons.
The Ouest Department, which includes Port-au-Prince, was initially placed under a state of emergency on 3 March due to the increasing violence that had taken hold of the capital.
Haiti, plagued by chronic instability, dictatorships, and natural disasters in recent decades, has emerged as the poorest nation in the Americas.
In 2021, unidentified gunmen assassinated President Jovenel Moïse in Port-au-Prince.
The country has been plagued by economic chaos, with little political control and a rise in violent gang warfare.
