23972: Slavin: (news) Is Haiti on the brink of civil war? (Reuters 122304)

[corbetre@webster.edu]

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http://www.alertnet.org/thefacts/reliefresources/110379812043.htm

Alerting Humanitarians to Emergencies
 
CRISIS PROFILE: Is Haiti on the brink of civil war?

23 Dec 2004
Source: AlertNet
By Katherine Arie

LONDON (AlertNet) - Fresh fears that Haiti could be headed for civil war have
surfaced as political and criminal violence continues to escalate. Some 200
people have been killed since September. Experts warn that unless all groups
are disarmed, Haiti could become a permanently failed state and spread
instability throughout the entire region in the form of an overflow of
refugees, violence and drugs.

The poorest country in the Americas, Haiti is wracked by an ongoing political
crisis. It is awash in weapons, and various armed groups -- including both
supporters and opponents of former President Jean Bertrand Aristide -- operate
with virtual impunity, wreaking havoc on the impoverished and war-weary
population. Widespread looting and vandalism contribute to the already insecure
environment.

U.N. peacekeepers, stationed in Haiti since June 2004, are charged with 
quelling
the political violence and disarming the armed groups. But the United Nations
has deployed just two-thirds of the full number of authorised troops, and the
Brazilian-led forces on the ground -- just 6,000 strong -- have been unable to
stabilise the country.

What happened to Aristide?

Jean Bertrand Aristide, a former Roman Catholic priest and Haitiâ??s first
democratically elected leader, was forced from power in February 2004. Accused
of corruption, Aristide fled the country in the midst of an armed revolt and
under intense U.S. and French pressure. He was flown in a U.S. jet to the
Central African Republic and now lives in exile in South Africa.

It wasnâ??t the first time Aristide had lost power. In 1991, Haiti's army
overthrew the president. The United States restored Aristide to office in 1994,
and he promptly disbanded the army.

A champion of Haitiâ??s poor, Aristide continues to command support in the
poorest slums of the country. His Lavalas Family Party is still active, and his
supporters have clashed with the police and the United Nations.

The interim government has blamed Aristide for fomenting violence from exile in
South Africa. Aristide counters that the government has arbitrarily arrested
and executed Lavalas Family Party activists and sympathisers. The
governmentâ??s hard line against Aristide supporters has prompted an outcry
from human rights groups, alarmed at rights violations perpetrated by police.

Who's in control of the country now?

Haitiâ??s interim government is nominally in control. It is headed by President
Boniface Alexandre, former chief justice at Haiti's Supreme Court, and Gerard
Latortue, a former Haitian foreign minister and U.N. official who was appointed
prime minister in March 2004.

But the government has failed to establish authority over the country, and
pro-Aristide supporters, street gangs, and rebels -- all heavily armed --
battle in the streets.

Who are the â??rebelsâ???

The rebels are former members of Haitiâ??s disbanded army. They played an
instrumental role in forcing Aristide from office in February and control large
swaths of the country.

Human Rights Watch has criticised Prime Minister Latortueâ??s apparent
indifference to the abuses of the rebels. Latortue has said that in his opinion
the former soldiers are freedom fighters, but the once cordial relations
between the rebels and the interim government soured in recent months over the
soldiersâ?? demand to be reinstated and compensated with 10 years of back pay.

In November, disgruntled rebels seized Aristideâ??s former walled compound in 
an
upscale Port-au-Prince neighbourhood, forcing a standoff with U.N. troops that
threatened to plunge the country further into anarchy.

The rebels left peacefully after two days, but they blamed the government for
requesting that the United Nations intervene and subsequently called for a
guerrilla war to unseat the government.

What role is the U.N. playing in Haiti?

In June 2004, the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), led
by Brazil, replaced a U.S.-led multinational force that had moved in when
Aristide left. MINUSTAHâ??s mandate includes assisting the Haitian police in
disarming all armed groups, protecting civilians under imminent threat of
physical violence and strengthening the judiciary.

MINUSTAH, which had been criticised for not intervening in the escalating
violence, has responded to the governmentâ??s request to remove the rebels from
Aristideâ??s compound and has intervened in gang violence in an attempt to halt
the indiscriminate killing of innocent bystanders.

In early December 2004, U.N. troops entered Cite Soleil, a predominantly
pro-Aristide slum of 500,000 people in Port-Au-Prince, where gangs had squared
off against each other.

MINUSTAH has also played a humanitarian role. It has protected convoys going
from Port-au-Prince to the northern town of Gonaïves after rain from Hurricane
Jeanne in September 2004 flooded the town, and provided security and logistic
support for both local people and humanitarian agencies.

What is the humanitarian situation in Haiti?

The humanitarian situation is dire. The political crisis has disrupted everyday
life for many Haitians, interrupting health services and threatening food
supplies. Without security, law and order, humanitarian agencies have struggled
to reach those in need. Armed gangs, the hijacking of trucks and looting remain
a problem.

A U.N. report released in November, â??A Common Vision of Sustainable
Developmentâ??, found that 55 percent of Haitians live on less than $1 a day
and 42 percent of children under five are malnourished. It also found that one
in 10 Haitians will have HIV/AIDS by 2015 and that dying during childbirth is
now the second cause of death for Haitian women.

In September rain unleashed by Hurricane Jeanne led to flooding in Gonaïves in
which 2,000 people were killed. Thousands of survivors were left homeless and
without food or clean water.

© 1998-2001 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.

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J.P. Slavin
New York
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