The Honduran military is supporting UN peacekeeping missions in Haiti as the poorest country in the Americas grapples with political instability.

Honduran Military forces to assist UN Peacekeeping mission in Haiti

The troops will support general peacekeeping efforts as part of the framework of agreements that Honduras has signed with the UN, Xinhua quoted the chairman of the Honduran Armed Forces’ Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Fredy Santiago Diaz, as saying on Wednesday in a statement.

“We are proud to know that Honduras is accounted for in integrating in these missions,” Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Fredy Diaz told reporters after the soldiers’ departure.

The Honduran Congress approved sending some 150 soldiers to Haiti on December 18. The remaining troops are due to be deployed by Tuesday.

The soldiers are being funded by the UN, with each receiving $1,096 a month for personal expenses and clothing. The peacekeeping troops from Honduras are to serve for a year in Haiti, which is affected by political turmoil and natural disasters such as a devastating 2010 earthquake that killed more than 250,000 people.

Haiti marked four years earlier this month since a violent earthquake shattered the impoverished nation, which is still struggling to recover from the widespread devastation of the earthquake.

Haiti has also seen an increase in anti-government protests, some breaking out into violent clashes.

Protesters have called for the resignation of President Michel Martelly, who has been in office since 2011, and are also demanding better living conditions.

Plans to rebuild the capital Port-au-Prince have been presented to the public, but the construction has yet to take place.