25639: Ayiti Libere: (web) Haiti on the edge (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Ayiti Libere <ayitilibere@yahoo.com>

Haiti on the edge
International Herald Tribune
http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/07/06/opinion/edlet.php

THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2005


The Haitian government, accompanied by a more engaged
United Nations mission in Haiti, should work to
resolve the insecurity problem in the country
("Without greater UN help, Haiti will soon collapse,"
by Mark Schneider, Views, June 24) .

The interim government and the UN mission have been
given a mandate to restore security in Haiti since
early 2004. But they have not shown the determination
or leadership required to bring about a minimum of
security, leaving many wondering if they have the
will. The situation has deteriorated to a level seen
only in failed societies.

In some areas, residents are at the mercy of gangs as
there are no authorities. The local police force does
not have the training, resources and the strength
required to curb the violence, while many of the
police are implicated in the violence. The UN forces,
despite being well armed, have fallen well short of
achieving their mission.

Every day you hear stories of kidnapping, carjacking,
burglaries, raping, arsons and atrocities committed by
gangs loyal to former President Jean-Bertrand
Aristide, drug-traffickers and others. And yet no
coordinated efforts for intervention and prevention
are put in place to tackle the insecurity and reassure
the population that they are not left to fend for
themselves.

To help make the transition successful, the
international community should put Aristide under
greater scrutiny by pressuring the South African
government, where the former president lives, to place
him under increased surveillance by controlling his
whereabouts, his visitors and his phone calls until a
judicial process has begun to investigate and
eventually try Aristide. Greater control on the coast
and borders of Haiti could be exerted to curtail the
flow of arms, ammunitions, drug trafficking and
criminals. The deportation of criminals to Haiti could
be suspended at least until Haiti recovers from this
turbulent period. The international community should
carry out the pledges they have made at several donor
conferences organized on behalf of Haiti.

Gerald Oriol Jr., Port-au-Prince, Haiti

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