Tonight 31 BDF soldiers, and 20 Coast Guardsmen, and their commanding officer, BDF Major Ermil Coh are in Jamaica being trained for deployment in a Multinational Force headed to Haiti.
They will be undergoing an intensive training at the Jamaica Defense Force Training Camp. The training will be led by the Canadian military. According to a release, "This comprehensive program is designed to equip participants with advanced skills and knowledge necessary for future deployments, particularly in support of efforts in Haiti, facilitated by the Canadian Armed Forces." End quote.
The Royal Bahamas Defence Force is also participating.
They will all be a part of what is described as a United Nations-authorized, Kenyan-led, Multinational Security Support mission."
The CARICOM troops will be trained to bolster the Haitian National Police in their efforts to restore security for the people of Haiti.
Sounds simple enough, but it is not. On Thursday the United Nations called the situation "cataclysmic" and said that poor governance and increasing levels of gang violence had brought state institutions "close to collapse."
