By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Chief Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net 

ROYAL Bahamas Defence Force Commodore Raymond King said the country is expected to deploy a five-member team to Haiti at the end of the week.

He said the advanced team, assigned to the Joint Multinational Security Support Mission headquarters, will be tasked with providing command, planning and logistics support.

Their deployment was recently approved by the National Security Council.

“They are tentatively scheduled to deploy on September 21st,” he told The Tribune yesterday. “However, it’s contingent on (if) the team is adequately equipped with necessary personal protection equipment.”

The Davis administration has committed to sending 150 Defence Force officers to join a multinational team to help stabilise Haiti.

National Security Minister Wayne Munroe has said the officers will help with maritime security.

When asked about the timeline for sending the remaining officers to Haiti, Commodore King could not provide a specific date.

“That’s undetermined at this time,” he said. “The National Security Council will advise the public whenever that decision is made.”

He noted that the troops will not be deployed all at once but will be sent on a rotational basis.

“The government has committed 50 persons for a four-month period for a total of 150 persons covering a 12-month or one-year period,” he added. “However, our maritime security operations continue from March this year in the Southern Bahamas. Any changes to that mission will be determined and communicated by the National Security Council.”

Kenyan troops who are leading the mission arrived in Haiti in late June to assist Haitian police.

Just last week, Jamaica sent two dozen soldiers and police officers to join the mission.

Yesterday, Foreign Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell responded to online reports claiming that local troops would be sent to Haiti this week.

He said the reports were not new and were “simply confirming what is already in the public domain”.

“There is no deviation from the maritime mission as was previously announced. The Bahamas will join colleagues from Kenya, Jamaica and Belize to work in close cooperation with Haitian National police to restore security in Haiti,” he added.