The United States said on Friday that it expects several Eastern Caribbean countries to send translators to Haiti as part of a United Nations-backed multinational force led by Kenya, as efforts to end the escalating violence between armed gangs and police in the French-speaking Caribbean Community (Caricom) country continue.
Barbara A Feinstein, the US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Caribbean Affairs and Haiti, said at a press conference that “there has been mentioned, for example, that in the Eastern Caribbean, there are certain countries that have the same or a very similar Creole to Haitian Creole, to the extent that they might be able to provide translators or interpreters is something that could also be of use.”
St Lucia and Dominica are two Caricom member countries that can communicate in the French creole or patois language that is widely prevalent in Haiti.
Feinstein said at a virtual news conference that the deployment of a multinational force to Haiti, with material support from the US and other countries, was contingent on an assessment completed by Kenya in the coming weeks.
Kenya’s Foreign Minister, Alfred Mutua, stated over the weekend that his country’s pledge is to deploy a contingent of 1,000 police officers to help train and support Haitian police in restoring normalcy in the country and protecting vital sites.
Dr. Ariel Henry, Haiti’s Prime Minister, issued an urgent appeal to the UN last year, requesting “the immediate deployment of a specialized armed force, in sufficient quantity” to end gang warfare.
