When the helicopter finally lifted off the ground from the Haitian grasslands, David Rochereau said he finally felt a sense of relief.
After managing to escape from the island nation plagued by anarchy and gang violence, Quebec residents told CBC News that it took a “convoy-like” line of armored vehicles to get them to a helicopter to the Dominican Republic. said. A motorcycle ran ahead to check if there were any organized crime groups nearby.
But Rochereau said Canadian authorities had nothing to do with his rescue Wednesday. Instead, he said, the company he was working with paid tens of thousands of dollars to a private rescue company, International SOS, to rescue him.
He filmed the rescue and gave CBC News exclusive access to the footage.
“Someone at the Canadian embassy with all this information could have done something like this…that makes me angry,” Rochereau said. “It could have been easily done if someone had just put their heads together and taken control.”
David Rochereau speaks of the “stressful and alarming” exodus from Haiti and says the Canadian government’s support networks in the country should be strengthened to help other Canadians stranded there. . “The United States is doing it, so why can’t Canada step in?” he told CBC’s Travis Danraj.
According to Global Affairs Canada (GAC), there are approximately 3,000 Canadians registered in Haiti. Government agencies said Friday they have received 245 inquiries since violence erupted between rival gangs earlier this month, shutting down the capital Port-au-Prince’s international airport and stranding foreign nationals amid a rise in kidnappings, robberies and violent crimes. announced that it had responded.
GAC said some of the requests it received were for general travel information and the security situation in Haiti, while others were for evacuation options.
But Tanya English said GAC did not help her Canadian relatives trapped in Haiti when they tried to get help.
CBC News is not identifying the British relative in Haiti to protect their safety, but we have contacted the relative who is trying to conserve cell phone battery during the power shortage to share their story. The British side gave permission to share the
English said the Canadian, who spent decades doing humanitarian work in Haiti, was diagnosed with cancer two years ago and was scheduled to return to Canada in early March for a follow-up appointment.
That trip never happened.
Andre-François Giroux, Canada’s ambassador to Haiti, said the Canadian government is preparing for “any eventuality” involving Haitian nationals, but that “exit assistance” is “truly a last resort.” Giroux’s comments come after some Canadians told CBC News they feel abandoned in Haiti amid escalating violence.
Canadians dissatisfied with Ottawa’s response
Email correspondence between Mr. English’s relatives and GAC was obtained by CBC News.
A Canadian who received information on how to protect himself wrote on March 17: “Thank you for the information. But I was hoping you would help me evacuate. How can you help me evacuate?”
Global Affairs then replies, “Now that you are registered with ROCA, you will be able to receive important safety updates from the Government of Canada,” allowing the government to notify travelers of emergencies. He mentioned Registration for Canadians Abroad, which is a free service.
On Wednesday, the GAC asked Canadians whether they would be willing to leave Haiti if the option became available on a potential “cost recovery basis.” But the next day, the Canadian government sent another email saying it was “not facilitating exit assistance or repatriation flights for Canadians in Haiti at this time.”
“They think, ‘Oh, finally,’ and they get a glimmer of hope, and then it’s completely shattered again,” English said. “They are completely depressed because no one cares.”
The GAC had not responded to specific questions from CBC News by the time of publication, but the agency said it cannot comment on specific consular cases.
The Canadian remains trapped in Haiti, but they said he found a possible escape plan through Project Dynamo, a Florida-based veterans-led nonprofit. The group confirmed to CBC News that Canadians have requested assistance.
But unlike Rochereau, who waited for two days in a hotel with armed guards hired to keep the group safe, days passed and Project Dynamo was unable to obtain air clearance to get the Canadian out of Haiti. I couldn’t do it.
“Right now, I have four helicopters waiting 20 minutes away from me, sitting idle,” said Brian Stern, founder and CEO of Project Dynamo. “They are fueled, they have funds, they have pilots. Why don’t they fly? Well, the Dominicans will say they can’t give us permission to fly. … Haiti says ” [they] please do not worry. ” Haiti shares the Caribbean island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic.
Sitting in Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic, Stern said his organization, which carries out free rescue operations through donations, has not yet received permission from the Dominican Ministry of Foreign Affairs to use its airspace, while commercial companies have not. expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of You can perform similar missions.
Bullets can “start flying” at any time.
Paul Doucet, regional security director for International SOS, said in an interview that the company was able to comply with local laws and coordinate with relevant departments to obtain permission to fly.
“I can absolutely guarantee it, 100 percent. [how much is charged per rescue] That’s not why we were successful.
“It didn’t affect the way we carried out that mission in any way.”
Doucet said he could not comment directly on how much International SOS charges for rescue operations.
Dominican Foreign Minister Roberto Álvarez said in an interview that whether organizations charge for rescue operations has no bearing on how quickly they receive approval from the ministry.
He said the main reason for the delay in granting permits was the need to carry out security checks.
Alvarez said about 500 people have been granted permission to fly into the Dominican Republic from Haiti since the violence broke out.
“every day [they] wake up at [their] Tanya English said of her relatives still waiting to be rescued from Project Dynamo: “They’re packing their bags and waiting and waiting. Every day they’re disappointed and hoping it’s going to happen. But it doesn’t happen in reality.”
Her relatives said the roof of her home was riddled with bullet holes from nearby gunfire, which could become a serious problem when it rains. English said she is also short on food and her family mostly eats canned food.
Every time she leaves the house to get food, “they rush to get it,” she said. “You never know when the bullets are going to start flying.”
They are awaiting a response from International Affairs Canada regarding possible exit options. “At its worst…everyone just turns away,” she says.
In an interview from his home in Saint-Hiacinthe, Kenya, on Friday, a day after returning from Haiti, Rochereau said he and his wife were finally able to sleep soundly for the first time since the violence erupted.
Although Rochereau said she never felt in immediate danger in Haiti, fear was always at the back of her mind. Before his escape plan with a private company was approved, the 63-year-old man said he thought about trekking up the mountain to escape as he sat in a hotel and heard gunshots outside.
“I understand someone’s shooting someone…but you’re trapped,” he said. “It was like a prison, but at least the prisoners know they have a release date.”
