forces amid escalating violence in the Caribbean nation, where gangs have taken control of most of its capital. For eight weeks, 15 women and 128 men were part of a basic military training where they practised personal defence and shooting and learned about human rights. Now they are heading to their country. “Starting today, you return to your nation with military knowledge and physical and spiritual strength to loyally serve your people and your democratically elected authority,” said Lieutenant Colonel Juan Manuel Campos Rodríguez, director of the army’s training centre, at a closing ceremony in a military camp in the state of Mexico, north of Mexico’s capital. The Haitian government announced in July it was sending soldiers for training as part of a plan to strengthen its security capabilities.

“The skills acquired by the graduating class substantially improve the capabilities of the Haitian armed forces, allowing them to better serve and protect the Haitian people,” said the Haitian ambassador to Mexico, Hubert Labbe. Since the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse in 2021, gangs have increased their presence and it’s estimated they now control about 90 per cent of the capital, Port-au-Prince. Their criminal activities and violence have extended to the countryside. A Kenya-led multinational force is currently deployed in Haiti, but it has not contained the violence, and there have been some recent proposals to increase the international support. (Jamaica Gleaner)