The Canadian government said on Sunday it deployed a military aircraft over Haiti to help with the escalating gang violence.
Canada said in a statement that it supports the Haitian National Police and deployed a Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) CP-140 Aurora long-range patrol aircraft in response to Haiti’s request for support as violence continues to escalate in the country.
The Royal Canadian Air Force aircraft, a CP-140 Aurora, was observed patrolling Haiti’s airspace on Saturday much to the surprise and curiosity of many Haitians, according to Stars and Stripes,
Canada’s Minister of National Defense Anita Anand and the Minister of Foreign Affair Mélanie Joly confirmed the presence of the long-range patrol aircraft, saying Its deployment is part of Canada’s efforts to support the Haiti National Police and to “disrupt the activities of gangs in Haiti and demonstrate Canada’s commitment to the Haitian people.”
Last October, Haiti’s Prime Minister Ariel Henry made a formal appeal for the deployment of a specialized international force to assist the overstretched Haiti National Police to confront increasingly powerful gangs that now control most of the capital. The request was supported by the United Nations secretary-general and the United States, which doesn’t want to lead such a force but would like for Canada to do so.
According to CTV News Canada, the Canadian government says the CP-140 Aurora is expected to remain in Haiti “for a number of days” to help with surveillance and intelligence efforts.
The deployment of the aircraft is just the latest in a number of measures Canada has undertaken to assist Haiti, including levying sanctions against individuals it views as responsible for the violence in Haiti, however, this is not indicative of military intervention.
Haitian gangs have expanded their territory since the 2021 assassination of then-President Jovenel Moise, reports Reuters. The resulting violence has left much of the country off-limits to the government and led to routine gun battles with police. Haiti is expected to be on the agenda when U.S. President Joe Biden visits Canada next month.
The CP-140 Aurora is a long-range patrol aircraft used for multiple types of missions over land and water. The plane plays a variety of roles, including operations management, maritime and overland intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare, strike coordination and search and rescue. It can also assist other government agencies to combat, illegal fishing, pollution, drug trafficking, and more.
