Haiti

(Quelle: Die Welt) Ein Jahr nach dem Sturz von Haitis Machthaber Bertrand Aristide hat sich die Situation in der Karibikrepublik extrem verschärft. Beinahe täglich kommt es zu Unruhen und Überfällen in verschiedenen Teilen der Insel; seit dem vergangenen September fanden bei Zusammenstößen zwischen kriminellen Banden, Ex-Soldaten, der Polizei und UN-Kräften mindestens 400 Menschen den Tod. … Eigentlich sollte die Minustah Befriedung und Wiederaufbau der Krisenregion so weit vorantreiben, daß im November Wahlen abgehalten werden können. Doch nun drohen Uruguay, Brasilien, Argentinien und Chile - die die Hälfte der UN-Soldaten stellen -, die Mission umgehend abzubrechen, weil die internationale Gemeinschaft keine Gelder für den Wiederaufbau freigebe.

(Quelle: UN News) A joint weekend operation between the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Haiti and the national police in a northern district of the country's capital, Port-au-Prince, resulted in the deaths of two long-sought gang leaders and five followers of one of them, the UN operation said in a statement released today.

(Quelle: UN News) Undertaking a fact-finding mission while preparing to vote on extending the mandate of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Haiti, Security Council representatives will leave tomorrow on their first visit to a Latin American or Caribbean nation, where they will support efforts to create a secure and stable environment, the delegation's leader said today.

(Quelle: Reliefweb) Violence in Haiti that has killed hundreds since September could delay a presidential election scheduled for November, the country's electoral agency said on Monday. Rosemond Pradel, secretary general of the council organizing elections to replace ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, said preparations were already behind schedule because of armed gangs, intimidation by former soldiers and general lawlessness.

(Quelle: BBC) Haitian police have killed a prominent rebel leader in a suburb of the capital, Port-au-Prince. Ravix Remissainthe was one of the key figures in a three-week uprising that ousted former President Jean-Bernard Aristide, who fled Haiti last year. Ravix was wanted by police in connection with the murder of four officers in February and several other attacks on police stations.

(Quelle: Reliefweb) The UN Security Council will hold an extraordinary meeting in Port-au-Prince to discuss the Haitian political and security crisis, China's ambassador to the United Nations, Wang Guangya, announced Monday. The mission will take place between April 13 and April 16, said Wang, who presides over the council this month.

(Quelle: UN News) The United Nations peacekeeping force in Haiti has launched a joint operation with the county's National Police to re-establish state authority in the Cité Soleil district in the capital Port-au-Prince. Around 1,000 UN troops and UN and Haitian police surrounded the neighbourhood, set up checkpoints and started patrolling during the operation, started yesterday, which is the second phase of the effort by the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) since December to neutralize armed groups in the district and increase security there.

(Quelle: Washington Post) Haitian gangs should accept a U.N. offer to disarm and return to civilian life or else peacekeepers will deal with them 'with firmness,' the head of the U.N. peacekeeping mission in the Caribbean nation said Tuesday. Juan Gabriel Valdes said the mission, known as MINUSTAH, was stepping up action to ensure that militias and gangs do not disrupt elections set for October and November. On Sunday, two U.N. soldiers were killed in Haiti, one of them as peacekeepers raided a police station occupied by gunmen.

(Quelle: BBC) Gun battles in Haiti between UN troops and rebels have left four people dead, including two peacekeepers. A Sri Lankan soldier died during a raid on a rebel-held police station in the south - the first peacekeeper to die in Haiti since the force arrived in June. A Nepalese soldier was later killed on patrol in the central town of Hinche.

(Quelle: UN News) The United Nations today announced the start of the demobilization process in Haiti, where an initial batch of 325 former members of the country's armed forces laid down their arms in the capital, Port-au-Prince. The ex-fighters – mostly from Cap-Haïtien, with 45 from other regions – took part in a solemn ceremony attended by senior government officials as well as the head of the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH).