20323: (Hermantin) Sun-Sentinel-Disarming Haiti may be difficult, experts say (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: leonie hermantin <lhermantin@hotmail.com>

Disarming Haiti may be difficult, experts say

By Sandra Hernandez
Staff Writer
Posted March 13 2004

Haiti's new prime minister is calling for disarmament. U.S. officials are
vowing to make it a priority. But promises to confiscate weapons from all
sides in Haiti's civil unrest could prove difficult in a country where
decomposing corpses, gun battles and armed gangs are commonplace, experts
say.

"This is mission impossible," said Tom Cash, an executive with Kroll Inc.,
an international security company with offices in Miami. "I know of no
country in the world that has been able to control the weapons in the hands
of its citizens, including here in the United States."

Cash, a former agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration in Haiti and
the Caribbean, is among a growing chorus of experts who say disarming the
many sides involved in the conflict will take more than a multinational
security force.

"This is very difficult," said Bob Maguire, a Haiti expert at Trinity
College in Washington, D.C. "In 1994, you had 21,000 foreign troops, and
effective disarmament wasn't done then. Now, 10 years later you have about
2,000 troops and many more guns."

The call to disarm follows weeks of violence that culminated last Sunday
when gunmen ambushed an opposition march leaving seven dead and dozens
injured.

Since then U.S. officials have struggled to deal with demands that
multinational security forces in that country -- led by U.S. Marines -- play
a greater role in confiscating the guns of both Aristide supporters and
opponents.

On Wednesday U.S. Army Gen. James Hill told the Associated Press that
getting "the guns off the street" was a priority, and the U.S.-led
multinational force would work with Haitian police to collect weapons, from
"rusted M-1s to top-of-the-line Uzis."

So far, in their newly expanded role, multinational peacekeepers have
gathered few weapons.

On Thursday, U.S. Marines raided a house in the capital's southeast section
but found no guns, according to Maj. Richard Crusan, spokesman for the
Marines in Port-au-Prince. A day later Chilean special forces raided a house
and found a shotgun, rifle and pistol.

For their part, military officials say Haiti's National Police will be the
lead agency and foreign troops will take a secondary role in the push to
disarm.

"We will take a passive posture," Crusan said. "If we see someone with guns
we will take them. ... We are actually confiscating all weapons right now
and verifying they are properly registered. We will dispose of those that
aren't properly registered by either destroying them or turning them over to
the Haitian National Police."

Under Haitian law, some weapons are legal and must be registered. These
include handguns and rifles for security companies.

In addition, peacekeepers and Haitian Police will conduct special raids
based on intelligence reports.

"There will be some deliberate operations based on (credible] tips, but I'm
not talking about someone walking up and handing us a note. ... The bottom
line is when we have credible information about a specific neighborhood we
will certainly go in there and take those weapons," Crusan said.

But experts say many neighborhoods are labyrinths difficult for any
foreigner to navigate, and Haiti's police are ill-equipped to disarm gangs
and armed rebels.

"Did I miss something or did the police leave their arms, because I recall
the armed rebels took over cities without any resistance from police," Cash
said. "So how can we now talk about joining the Haitian police in ridding
the country of arms when they couldn't even defend themselves before?"

Another hurdle to disarming this Caribbean nation is the sheer number of
Haitians with guns.

"In Haiti, a gun represents power and politics a struggle for power,"
Maguire said.

Those with guns include the rich and poor.

"The people who have guns include poor urban gangs, some of whom support
former President Aristide and some who oppose him," Maguire said. "But you
are also talking about some very wealthy people."

Still, U.S. officials insist they can disarm at least some in the country.

"Right now weapons are everywhere, and we will disarm illegally armed
civilians. That is something we are doing to make the streets safe for
everyone," Crusan said.

Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.

Sandra Hernandez can be reached at shernandez@sun-sentinel.com or
954-356-4514.

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