The Trump administration has urged Canada to help stabilize Haiti, which has been facing escalating gang violence for years.

Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand said that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke to her personally about Haiti's critical situation during a meeting in Washington on August 21.

She said it would be premature to say whether Canada is considering sending troops to help defeat the gangs wreaking havoc in Haiti. She indicated that she would travel to New York next week for the United Nations General Assembly to continue discussions on a stabilization plan for Haiti.

Rubio called for the creation of a new 5,500-member international gang-fighting force (GSF) to replace the underfunded and poorly equipped Kenyan-led Multinational Security Support Mission (MMSS).

It is unclear whether Kenya and other contingents from the current mission would remain in the proposed new GSF force.

"The work we are doing with the United States and all partners in the current Kenyan-led multinational initiative is to ensure that we are supporting regional stability," Anand said. "That was the thrust of my conversation with Marco Rubio. We have no further discussions at this point."

Fen Hampson, a professor of international affairs at Carleton University, said Canada would ultimately have no choice but to accede to a persistent request from the Trump administration, given the tense negotiations over tariffs.

See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-45777-haiti-flash-haiti-s-fate-in-the-hands-of-xi-and-putin.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-45749-haiti-politic-haiti-cannot-wait-the-time-for-decisive-coordinated-action-is-now-oas-statement.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-45744-haiti-flash-pm-supports-establishment-of-gang-repression-force.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-45656-haiti-flash-usa-proposes-a-more-aggressive-repression-force-against-gangs-with-more-than-5-000-men.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-44822-haiti-politic-us-designates-viv-ansanm-and-gran-grif-as-foreign-terrorist-organizations-official.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-44332-haiti-politic-antonio-guterre-proposes-a-formula-for-a-security-force-capable-of-defeating-gangs-in-haiti.html

SL/ HaitiLibre