A contingent of Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) troops returned home in March 2026 after completing their tour as part of an ongoing U.N. mission in Haiti, the third such RBDF deployment since 2024. The RBDF members were ferried home on United States Department of War aircraft and welcomed on arrival by Bahamian Minister of National Security Wayne Munroe, U.S. Embassy Chargé D’ Affaires to The Bahamas Kimberly Furnish, and the RBDF’s commander, Commodore Floyd Moxey, according to the Nassau Guardian, a Bahamian newspaper. “The journey has not been an easy one for all of you and for those who were deployed before you, but it has been a mission of purpose — one that affirms our commitment to supporting our international brothers and sisters in need. Notably, this is not our first deployment to Haiti. The RBDF proudly served in peacekeeping operations in Haiti in the early 1990s, and our return to Haiti in 2023 reaffirmed our ongoing commitment to regional stability,” Moxey told the RBDF members, according to the newspaper.
Munroe said The Bahamas would continue to support stabilization efforts in Haiti to improve regional security and offered the continuation of bilateral training, intelligence sharing and other help The Bahamas has given the Gang Suppression Force (GSF), the U.N. deployment that replaced the original U.N. security mission led by Kenya. Munroe said Bahamian authorities would assist newly arriving troops from the Republic of Chad, Côte d-Ivoire and Sri Lanka in getting up to speed.
The Bahamas has focused its U.N. efforts on training the Haitian Coast Guard to operate in the waters shared by the two nations. Contingents of six RBDF personnel also served on Haitian soil beginning in October 2024. As Munroe noted, the RBDF deployed to Haiti originally in the early 1990s during a period of instability. RBDF Commander Alexis Brown, who served in the GSF, said Bahamian troops performed well. “The team and I reflect with great pride on what was accomplished alongside our international partners and Haitian counterparts. The experience and partnerships developed during this mission will continue to guide our work as the international community aligns its efforts in support of Haiti’s pathway to stability and security,” Brown said, according to the Guardian.
Julian Smith, the charge d’affaires in The Bahamas embassy in Port au Prince, said the RBDF presence made a difference in Haiti. “I have witnessed firsthand the professionalism, discipline, and quiet resolve of our RBDF personnel as they carried out their mandate within the GSF. Their service has been exemplary — a true reflection of the character and capability of the Bahamian men and women who serve our nation. The Embassy takes immense pride in the constructive role The Bahamas continues to play in Haiti’s path toward stability, and I commend this contingent and all those who came before them for the honor they have brought to our flag in one of the hemisphere’s most challenging environments,” Smith said.