Despite requests for an international army to combat gangs, two officials stated that Brazil’s next administration is unlikely to offer military support to Haiti, stressing that a previous military involvement did not result in long-lasting changes.
Last month, the UN debated dispatching a strike team to Haiti to free a petroleum facility that had been gang-blocked.
Fuel distribution has resumed since the police won back control of the terminal this month, but kidnappings are once more on the rise, and gangs are still expanding their control of the area.
President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who enters office on January 1, has a foreign policy adviser named Celso Amorim. “Any Brazilian engagement would be tough, generally, in a global force,” he stated.
Amorim highlighted that Haiti’s security situation was worse after the operation than it was before, and that Brazil’s military participation in the MINUSTAH U.N. peacekeeping force, which operated there from 2004 to 2017, was extremely unpopular at home.
In a telephone conversation, he said, “We made an incredible effort that caused us a lot of issues, even internally.”
“We witnessed no worldwide community engagement,”
According to a second Brazilian official, the U.S. embassy made some informal contacts recently to inquire about Brazil’s willingness to join a strike force.
The official, who requested anonymity, also said it was doubtful that Brazil would join such a force.
Regarding any potential involvement in a military action in Haiti, the administration of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has not made any comments.
An inquiry for comment was not immediately answered by the foreign ministry.
A inquiry for comment about whether the U.S. State Department asked Brazil for assistance in sending a strike force to Haiti did not receive a prompt response.
Most economic activity was hindered by fuel shortages that started with the blockade in mid-September, forcing businesses and hospitals to close.
The United States and Mexico suggested a multinational attack force to restore the terminal during a U.N. Security Council meeting in October, but they did not specify which nations would supply soldiers for such an operation.
Plans for medium-term strengthening of the Haitian National Police have been put forth by the United States and the UN.
Reuters
