PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) – The Dominican Republic said on Friday it did not approve the installation of a Canadian office to coordinate support for neighboring Haiti’s national police, a day after Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly announced plans to set one up this summer.
“The Dominican government confirms it has not discussed, agreed or granted any authorization for the installation on our territory of an office to coordinate support for the Haitian National Police,” Dominican Foreign Minister Roberto Alvarez said in a tweet.
The Dominican Republic has strained relations with Haiti, with which it shares the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. Since gang violence escalated in Haiti last year, Santo Domingo has stepped up border security and deported tens of thousands fleeing the crisis in Haiti.
In a ministerial meeting on Thursday, Joly announced plans to coordinate an aid operation intended to help support Haiti’s out-gunned police from a base in the Dominican Republic and thanked Alvarez for hosting the mechanism, according to a transcript from a Canadian government official.
Canada’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry has since October called for an international force to help police fight powerful gangs who now control large parts of the country, fueling a humanitarian crisis that has displaced tens of thousands.
The United States has pushed Canada to take a leading role, but, wary of lending troops to Henry’s unelected government and repeating abuses committed by past international missions, no country has offered to lead such a force.
(Reporting by Harold Isaac; Writing by Sarah Morland; Editing by Sandra Maler)
