US(Washington Insider Magazine)-SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — In response to a pending request for the quick deployment of foreign soldiers from the Haitian government, Canada and the United States sent armored vehicles and other equipment to Haiti on Saturday to assist police in their fight against a strong gang.
The Haitian government bought the equipment but no other information was given regarding the supplies that were sent via military aircraft to the country’s capital, Port-au-Prince, a US State Department statement said.
Other than stating that it was a joint operation between the Royal Canadian Air Force and the U.S. Air Force, a spokesperson for the U.S. military’s Southern Command stated no other information regarding the supplies could be provided.
The Pan American Health Organization stated that there have been around 560 cases reported of cholera, 300 hospitalizations, and approximately 35 fatalities. However, experts have warned that the actual number of cases is likely much higher.
The delivery came more than a month after one of Haiti’s most powerful gangs seized a fuel terminal and demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry. Protesters have also jammed roads in key cities to protest a spike in fuel prices since Henry’s announcement of his government’s inability to afford the fuel subsidies, ABC NEWS reported.
Since then, water, fuel, as well as other supplies have become scarce across Haiti. Fuel stations have shut down, hospitals have scaled back their services, and grocery shops and banks are open only for a limited time.
The fuel terminal’s owners stated on Saturday that armed individuals had raided their facilities the second time and had overpowered security and emergency workers before fleeing with over 28,000 gallons of petroleum products.
Armed men burst into the facility, which houses over 10 million gallons of diesel and gasoline and more than 800,000 liters of kerosene, for the second time this week.
