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PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) - The Haitian government has welcomed home 41 engineers and technicians who underwent 10 months of military training in Ecuador.
The team is intended to be part of a soon-to-be-created quasi-military force that Haitian officials want to monitor the country's coasts and its border with the Dominican Republic, fight drug trafficking, raise environmental awareness and respond to disasters.
President Michel Martelly was eager two years ago to fulfill a campaign goal of reviving Haiti's national army, which was disbanded in 1995 because of its abusive past. But he backed off under pressure from the U.S. and other governments, and opted to create a smaller force with the help of Ecuador.
The National Palace announced the Ecuador training project in a statement Thursday.
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