_{Photo: Heads of Caribbean Military inspecting assessment}

by Kristen Ku

BELIZE CITY, Mon. May 6, 2024

Belizean troops are back home after a month-long specialized training session in Jamaica — a preparatory step for potential deployment to Haiti as part of a multinational peace-keeping force.

The troops, who landed in Belize on Thursday evening via a Canadian Forces aircraft, participated in the second phase of their training, following a two-week session held in January, which was focused on the United Nations’ participation doctrine.

The group consisted of 31 Belize Defence Force (BDF) soldiers and 20 Belize Coast Guard members who completed a rigorous training program supervised by the Canadian military, which based the training on the Peacekeeping Curriculum, which outlines their expected roles in Haiti.

The training was aimed at enhancing the troops’ skills in areas such as strategies for combating gang activity, human rights education, first aid, basic French language, and hostage rescue operations, which were featured in their final exercise.

“I had the opportunity to speak with the Canadian instructor, who told us that, indeed, they’re very pleased with the level of where our guys were and where they are now after the training. All the training objectives have been met, so, tactically, these men are prepared for this mission,” shared Elton Bennett, Commandant of the Coast Guard, who was invited to Jamaica to witness Belize’s troops carry out this final exercise.

Although no specific date has been set for deployment, given the upcoming general elections in Haiti, Bennett explained that the situation could require our troops to remain there for a couple of years, on a rotational basis.

For now, they await approval—a decision that depends on factors such as the readiness of equipment, the addressing of welfare concerns, administrative aspects, and of course training.

“We have drafted a 10-point document, and those points specify under what conditions we are going to deploy to Haiti; and so far, the training aspect of it is something that is being accomplished at the moment,” Brigadier General, Azariel Loria, Commander of the BDF, explained. “We still have to wait and see.”