Colombia Rules Out Sending Troops to Haiti

Colombia has decided not to deploy troops to Haiti for the planned multinational mission aimed at restoring stability in the Caribbean nation. Colombian Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo confirmed this decision on April 9, during a United Nations Security Council meeting.

Murillo opened up the possibility that the country could collaborate in the training of the Haitian police on the ground, once the Transitional Council is set up and a Prime Minister and a new government are appointed. Following the resignation a month ago of Ariel Henry, who is out of the country, a power vacuum has been exploited by criminal gangs to extend their territorial dominance after years of violence.

With the future formation of the new government, the authorities will have 22 months to restore public order and call for democratic elections before February 2026 to restore political normality to the battered country.

International collaboration

After the unsuccessful international operation a few months ago, Kenya showed its willingness to lead an international deployment of police to collaborate with the Haitian security forces and regain control of the capital for the State. Today, the city of Port-au-Prince is under almost total domination by various armed groups.

Regarding Colombia’s role in this future deployment, the Foreign Minister pointed out that “we do not believe that external interventions have worked in the past”, about the serious embarrassment that tarnished the last blue helmet mission, which was responsible for spreading a serious cholera outbreak in Haiti in 2010.

On that date, and according to an internal UN report, it was the Nepalese blue helmets that introduced the disease through negligence. Nearly 10,000 people died and 780,000 were affected. This means that the serious disease affected 4% of the Haitian population.

Police training

Colombia, however, said that it will offer the new Haitian authorities its collaboration to train the island’s police officers. Likewise, the head of Colombian diplomacy emphasized at the United Nations the need for financial support from the international community to carry out aid initiatives in Haiti.

Likewise, Murillo mentioned Colombia’s willingness to offer training in the formation of civil society agents and the integration of excluded groups, based on the experience acquired during the peace process in Colombia.

Finally, the Foreign Minister highlighted Colombia’s efforts to collaborate with the Haitian authorities in the provision of humanitarian assistance, including food and other types of aid through specialized agencies.

Luis Gilberto Murillo stated that Colombia “condemns any action against the civilian population” in Haiti, emphasizing specifically the protection of citizens who are suffering directly from social and political violence.