Haiti

(Quelle: Reliefweb) The United Nations Assistance Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) today announced that one of its peacekeepers was fatally injured on Friday after he was shot in the head when his armoured vehicle came under attack in troubled Cité Soleil. Captain Yousef Algader, a 31-year old Jordanian, was immediately transferred to a military hospital but did not survive his injuries.

(Quelle: Reliefweb) Haiti's presidential election scheduled for January 8 could face another delay, officials said. Max Mathurin, the chairman of the provision election council, said more than 2 million people of the 3.4 million eligible voters had still not receiving voter cards. The first presidential elections since former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide was ousted in February 2004 were originally scheduled for November 13 before being pushed back to December 20, then December 27 and finally to the January date.

(Quelle: Reliefweb) Retired Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer Mark Bourque and another peacekeeper were patrolling in a Port-au-Prince slum when they were ambushed by two unknown gunmen. … Bourque is the seventh peacekeeper who has been killed in Haiti since the UN mission began in June of 2004. He was one of 25 retired police officers that Canada sent to the Caribbean country in October to join the UN mission that has been trying to provide stability before a national election.

(Quelle: Reliefweb) The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza, assured the Interim Prime Minister of Haiti, Gérard Latortue, of his confidence in the electoral process scheduled to take place at the beginning of the year and said the foundation has been laid for 'democratic rebuilding' in Haiti. Speaking to a protocolary meeting of the Permanent Council, Insulza underscored the work that the OAS, in collaboration with the United Nations, has carried out in Haiti to help register more than 3.5 million citizens, an estimated 80% of the eligible voting population.

(Quelle: UN News) The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Haiti has welcomed the official new dates set by the Caribbean country’s Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) for elections, saying informal proposals for previous dates had failed to take into account the technical requirements. The Council has set 8 January for presidential and legislative elections and 15 February for run-off elections. The Transitional Government had previously set 27 December for the elections and 7 February for the inauguration of the newly elected President.

(Quelle: Reliefweb) With the Security Council having decided to strengthen the United Nations peacekeeping missions in Côte d'Ivoire and Haiti, the General Assembly has approved increases in funding for both missions over the year ending next June.

(Quelle: Le Monde) Pourtant, 'le succès de la campagne d'inscription des électeurs est un signe encourageant', se félicite la Canadienne Elizabeth Spehar, responsable du programme d'assistance électorale de l'Organisation des Etats américains (OEA). 'C'était un énorme défi. Selon un dernier décompte, 3 443 888 électeurs se sont inscrits sur un total potentiel estimé à 4,4 millions. C'est un beau résultat quand on sait que dans certaines campagnes reculées on a dû acheminer le matériel à dos d'ânes', dit-elle.

(Quelle: Reuters AlertNet) Haiti will hold long-delayed national elections - the poor Caribbean country's first since last year's ouster of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide - on Dec. 27, an official said on Thursday. Haiti's constitution requires the inauguration of a new president by Feb. 7, 2006. But election officials, hampered by logistical problems, political violence and legal challenges, have several times postponed the vote for the presidency, the legislature and local offices.

(Quelle: UN News) In their latest anti-gang operation in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince, 200 United Nations peacekeepers waged an eight-hour gun battle yesterday with heavily armed men who attacked them when they were checking a barricade under construction, killing four of the assailants. … There were no civilian or UN casualties in the battle which erupted in the Pele zone of the Cité Militaire area when the blue helmets came under attack by men firing heavy weapons.

(Quelle: BBC) The members of a high-level committee set up to improve the organisation of the forthcoming elections in Haiti have resigned, local media reports say. The panel was set up by the interim prime minister, Gerard Latortue, because of concerns about the work of the Provisional Electoral Council. But the head of the committee, Christian Rousseau, said that it had received no political support. Poor organisation has resulted in the elections being delayed twice already. Both the United Nations and the United States have voiced concerns about the postponements. The polls are now planned for some time between 11-18 December under the UN supervision.