Fred Mitchell, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, referring to the escalation of violence in Haiti, said that the 6 military personnel of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) in Haiti, sent as the vanguard of the 150-man contingent confirmed last August by the Government of Philip Davis , have received a voluntary withdrawal order, an exceptional measure allowing them to leave Haiti at any time if they do not feel safe. The possibility of voluntary withdrawal for RBDF officers is rare, as military personnel deployed on missions abroad, generally require official withdrawal or redeployment orders issued by the Government or the RBDF.