Fred Mitchell, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, referring to the escalation of violence in Haiti, said that the 6 military personnel of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) in Haiti, sent as the vanguard of the 150-man contingent confirmed last August by the Government of Philip Davis https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-43446-haiti-flash-a-team-of-bahamian-soldiers-has-arrived-in-haiti.html , have received a voluntary withdrawal order, an exceptional measure allowing them to leave Haiti at any time if they do not feel safe.

The possibility of voluntary withdrawal for RBDF officers is rare, as military personnel deployed on missions abroad, generally require official withdrawal or redeployment orders issued by the Government or the RBDF.

"No one is going to be put in harm’s way," Mitchell said in a voice note, adding that "the Government is watching the situation day to day, minute by minute."

A decision that comes after the announcement of the suspension of flights to Haiti by the airline Bahamasair https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-43630-haiti-flash-bahamasair-suspends-flights-to-haiti.html

It is unclear whether the six military personnel will use this authorization and if so, it is unclear to what extent exactly this voluntary withdrawal order would affect the Mission in Haiti.

See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-43630-haiti-flash-bahamasair-suspends-flights-to-haiti.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-43446-haiti-flash-a-team-of-bahamian-soldiers-has-arrived-in-haiti.html

SL/ HaitiLibre