PORT-AU-PRINCE — The Canadian government added two more Haitians, a former senator and a businessman, to its sanctions list for the pair’s alleged financial and operational support of armed gangs in Haiti.
Nenel Cassy, is a former senator from the Nippes region, and Steeve Khawly, is an entrepreneur who ran unsuccessfully for president of Haiti. Their addition brings the sanctioned list of Haitians to 19 people, including former president Michel Martelly and former prime ministers.
The announcement came Friday, after U.S. President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met in Canada to discuss collaborating on migration, security, the economy and the crisis in Haiti. Canada also pledged additional support for the Haitian police to combat armed gangs that have taken over the capital.
“Canada and the United States are committed to supporting the people of Haiti,” tweeted Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly on Friday, after the sanctions announcement. “That’s why we are investing to better support the Haitian National Police and are holding accountable those who profit from and contribute to instability in Haiti.”
These new sanctions are based on Canadian regulations that impose sanctions on prominent Haitians in response to criminal gang activity. They prohibit any person in Canada and any Canadian abroad from carrying out transactions or transactions with people on the list and from making any goods, wherever they are, available to them. It freezes the sanctioned Haitians’ assets, bans them from entering Canadian soil.
Money pledged for Haitian police
As for squashing the gang activity directly, Canada remains firm about not deploying its soldiers on Haitian territory, as the Haitian government has requested.
Instead, Canada will provide CAD $100 million or USD $73 million in equipment and financial support for Haitian National Police (PNH).
“Part of this envelope [funds] will be used to acquire lethal equipment, weapons and ammunition for the PNH,” Canada’s Ambassador to Haiti, Sébastien Carrière, told Le Nouvelliste on Friday. “We believe this can make a significant difference. It’s a step in the right direction. We are working with the PNH to find out what it needs.”
“The announcement of these $100 million will accelerate the discussions,” Carrière said. “This is a new contribution which, for us, should allow the PNH to give even more resources to fight gangs.”
From January 21, 2022 to March 24, 2023 Canada’s funding pledges to strengthen the Haitian National Police increased after the announcement of CAD $100 million to a total of CAD $150.4 million. At the international meeting in January 2022, Canada promised Haiti CAD $50.4 million or USD $39 million for security.
Haitian police are desperately in need of reinforcements to meet the firepower and strategic tactics of armed gangs that have taken over most of the Haitian capital, killing and kidnapping residents at will. Earlier this month, Haiti’s prime minister Ariel Henry called on the Haitian army to help police fight the gangs.
