US / Canada team up for Haiti
The US and Canada will work together to “cut the insecurity knot” that has allowed gangs to create a humanitarian crisis in Haiti, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said yesterday. But neither Blinken nor Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly committed their country to leading a military force to the Caribbean nation. “This is a work in progress and we are continuing to pursue it,” Blinken told a news conference in Ottawa during his first visit to Canada. Haiti’s interim government has operated in chaos since the July 2021 assassination of former President Jovenel Moise. Since September, armed gangs have been blockading fuel access, leading to a shortage of basic goods, clean water and medical services, all during a cholera outbreak. Canada and the US have sent tanks, and the United Nations is considering a military intervention to restore order, which has been endorsed by SecretaryGeneral Antonio Guterres.