ROYAL Bahamas Defence Force Commodore Raymond King.
By RASHAD ROLLE
Tribune News Editor
rrolle@tribunemedia.net
MONTHS after The Bahamas committed 150 officers to help stop the violence in Haiti and restore stability there, the United Nations Security Council approved a year-long multinational security mission to that country yesterday.
Royal Bahamas Defence Force Commodore Raymond King said yesterday that the environment in Haiti is volatile but vowed to keep Bahamians protected.
“It’s a failed state,” he said. “It’s not a safe environment given the gang activity, but the public could rest assured, if and when we decide to send persons to Haiti, the vulnerabilities and the risks will be reduced significantly. We will make sure that our members are prepared to the highest degree. We are resourced and prepared to keep any risk of casualty to a minimum.”
He declined to say how the deployed officers will be chosen.
“I want to be reserved on any matters related to potential peacekeeping,” he said. “At this time, it is prudent for the government to speak on those issues politically in terms of winning the hearts and minds of the general public and the need to send our troops. But, as an organisation, we continue to prepare, we continue to plan.”
The mission, led by Kenya, aims to secure critical infrastructure and transit hubs such as airports, ports, schools, hospitals and key intersections.
According to the United Nations, more than 3,000 homicides have been reported in Haiti this year and over 1,500 cases of kidnapping for ransom.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Gutierrez described the grip armed gangs have on Haiti in a report to the Security Council in August.
He said gangs encircle Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince.
“Gang attacks are characterised by extreme violence,” he wrote. “Reports include indiscriminate shooting of people in public spaces or in residences, burning people alive in public transportation vehicles, mutilation and execution of people perceived to be opposed to the gangs.”
Secretary-General Gutierrez noted the violence has disproportionately affected women and girls.
“Large-scale attacks by gangs, which involve indiscriminate killing and mass burning of homes, have displaced almost 130,000 people,” he wrote.
The Haitian police force is unable to curb the violence.
Secretary-General Guterres said the force lost 774 officers in the first half of 2023.
More than two dozen police officers have reportedly been killed in the country this year.
In August, National Security Minister Wayne Munroe said Bahamian troops in Haiti would offer training and technical help. He said the task would be low-risk for those involved.
Between 1994 and 1996, 141 defence force officers conducted security operations in Haiti as part of a United Nations peacekeeping operation.
Comments
bahamianson 1 year, 2 months ago
Commodore vows minimum casualties? So out of 150 Bahamian Defense Force Officers , does that mean 10% will not return, or 1% will not return? So 10% is 15 officers and 1% is 2 officers. So 2 to 15 men and women may die on this mission?
Sickened 1 year, 2 months ago
Do we have to supply the body bags and coffins or is the UN supplying these things?
ExposedU2C 1 year, 2 months ago
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Porcupine 1 year, 2 months ago
Absolutely correct. The troops are being softened for when they have to raise their guns against their own.
ExposedU2C 1 year, 2 months ago
One must assume the Commodore himself will be on the ground in Haiti along side our Troops to lead the charge until they return home.
carltonr61 1 year, 2 months ago
Haiti has the second largest oil reserves in the world just to name one of its many trillion dollar natural resources. The problem us that those nationalist raw bone endigenous Haitians wants the resources fir Haiti so they are called terrorists as is done by any nation as Iraq and Saddam Hussain who attests to put its nation as the owner of resources. The big Western boys dem with military and political great powers are forcing this issue as regional fight against tyranny while themselves are the bug tyrants. I hope we get some if the vanquished oil, natural gas and gold of Hauti to assist them when Haitians run here in The millions.
TalRussell 1 year, 2 months ago
Hypocrisy of dispatching its troops to prop up Haiti's Elites. --- In other words.--- Haiti's Elites, kept demanding outside military intervention from a colony that, --- Shoves its own Haitian Popoulaces' at the bottom of the social structure. --- Yes?
sheeprunner12 1 year, 2 months ago
When the Ukraine-Russia war broke out, who dealt with that?????? ......... EU/NATO was the regional body that came to the aid of Ukraine.
So, who is the regional body that should respond to Haiti??? ........... It is the OAS.
Why is the OAS so quiet on the Haitian civil war????? ............. Why does the OAS even exist???
Porcupine 1 year, 2 months ago
A very bad precedent, unless you missed history class. Haiti is being used as an example. Who gets to define "failed state"? Give us a few more years. The direction we're headed is more than clear.
birdiestrachan 1 year, 2 months ago
Even if one Bahamian dies the PLP will lose the election
FreeportFreddy 1 year, 2 months ago
OMG...think the world is ending...Birdie said something against the PLP.
Birdie - I may love you!!!
ExposedU2C 1 year, 2 months ago
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ExposedU2C 1 year, 2 months ago
Birdie hates Haitians for what they have done to our country much more than Birdie loves the PLP. The only problem is Birdie refuses to accept that it was none other than SLOP who opened the doors to our country being invaded by illegal Haitian aliens. And the door has been kept open ever since by the likes of Sleazy Corkscrew Fwreddy Boy Mitchell.
By sending troops to Haiti, Sleazy Fwreddy Boy and corrupt PM Davis want to let the Haitian people know that the Bahamas will always be a safe haven and sanctuary nation for illegal Haitian aliens to flock to by sea.
TalRussell 1 year, 2 months ago
The funding of a proactive plan to feed the colony's popoulaces would make for better use the colony's troops resources. - Most notably durng post hurricanes perods. ---- Yes?
carltonr61 1 year, 2 months ago
So we have signed on to killing one million more Haitians than the Haitians kill themselves.
TalRussell 1 year, 2 months ago
Comrade Sisters' and gentlemans', please don't stand for the singing! --- Such military decision can only setack the premiership's plans for the singing of The National Anthem of The Popoulaces' Republic of Bahamaland. --- Yes?
FreeportFreddy 1 year, 2 months ago
US $ 300 to fly from Freeport to Lauderdale is criminal!!!n UNREAL
FreeportFreddy 1 year, 2 months ago
ONE WAY
hrysippus 1 year, 2 months ago
The military personnel that will be deployed to Haiti will be entering what is close to being a war zone.. Almost every Bahamian family has so far escaped paying the price for having a family member suffer PTSD from serving in the military in a war zone as so few Bahamians served in WW1 or WW2, AND YES, i am aware of the Dupuch, Thompson, Johnson, et al. . Bahamian families may in the future pay the price for the horrible things that these soldiers may do or experience,
Porcupine 1 year, 2 months ago
We're not good at thinking past tomorrow.
carltonr61 1 year, 2 months ago
A failed state, we call Haiti. What are we if it takes three days to be processed at our Public Hospital Authority. Our government healthcare system is 10% efficient as Haiti. The Bahamas needs invasion to give better Healthcare to a suck population, where if you can't find money for private greed indyced millionaire doctors care you are put to the firing squad. We have our own war at home just to stay alive from simple illnesses.
carltonr61 1 year, 2 months ago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RclaV_3…
JFK speech on peace.
'not a pax Americana enforced on the world by American weapons of war. not the peace of the grave nor security of the slave.'
A must listen to before his assassination. Do we know which direction this road we trod is leading to? This is no time to march in this direction Bahama land - Sir Lyndon Oscar Pindling "My fellow Bahamians".
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