Canada has sent around 70 soldiers to Jamaica to train troops from Caribbean nations who are due to take part in a UN-authorised mission to Haiti, the Canadian defence ministry announced on Saturday.

Kenya announced last year it would lead the force, which is designed to help national police fight powerful gangs in Haiti where spiralling violence has fuelled a humanitarian disaster. The initiative has been tied up in Kenyan court challenges ever since, effectively putting the mission on hold.

The Canadian troops, from the predominantly French-speaking province of Quebec, will provide training on core peace-keeping skills and combat first aid, the defence ministry said in a statement. French is one of Haiti’s two official languages.

The troops are due to stay in Jamaica for an initial period of a month and will train around 330 troops from Jamaica, Belize and the Bahamas.

Canada said last month it would give 80.5 million Canadian dollars ($60 million) to support the deployment of the Kenyan-led mission.

• A Reuters report