The Canadian Ministry of Defense said yesterday, Saturday, that Canada has sent about 70 soldiers to Jamaica to train forces from Caribbean countries scheduled to participate in a UN-authorized mission in Haiti

Kenya announced last year that it would lead this force aimed at helping the police combat powerful gangs in Haiti, where escalating violence has led to a humanitarian disaster. This initiative has stumbled due to appeals before Kenyan courts since then, effectively suspending the mission.

The Ministry of Defense said in a statement that the Canadian forces, coming from the Quebec region where the majority speak French, will provide training on basic peacekeeping skills and first aid for victims of combat actions. French is one of the official languages in Haiti.

The forces are scheduled to be stationed in Jamaica for an initial period of one month and will train about 330 soldiers from Jamaica, Belize, and the Bahamas.

Canada said last month that it would provide 80.5 million Canadian dollars to support the deployment of the Kenya-led mission.