Belize Deliberates Sending Personnel to Assist in Haiti’s Humanitarian Efforts

Belize is currently deliberating the possibility of sending personnel to Haiti to assist in humanitarian efforts. The U.S. government is working to establish a multinational force that will be tasked with working to eliminate the violence brought on by gangs in Haiti. The country remains in a state of turmoil and its population is suffering from several issues. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Western Hemisphere Affairs, Dan Erikson, explained that assistance has been requested from Belize but there have not been any commitments made by the government. 

Dan Erickson, Deputy Assistant, Security of Defense for the Western Hemisphere Affairs: “The U.S. has been deeply concerned around the deepening insecurity in Haiti and the fact that the government there and the Haitian national police has been very challenged by gangs in Haiti. Right now we’re in the process of holding multilateral conversations with a variety of different countries both within the region and beyond the region, to see what can be done collectively to address the challenge in Haiti. We would welcome Belize to be part of that conversation but there’s no firm plans at this time in terms of a Belizean contribution.”