A report of an incursion on January 4 from the Agence Haitiene de Presse (I don’t know anything about this group): “Two people were killed and several others arrested this Tuesday at the Cité de l’Eternel located along Bicentenaire Street. The killings were carried out by police officers dressed in black and camouflage. According to area residents, the dead are Jean Ferres Nazaire, age 28, and Angela, a girl of 13. The residents of Cité l’Eternel are accusing the police of displaying a revolting lack of professionalism. “When the police storm into a neighborhood they have a tendency to shoot everything that moves and that’s what is behind the tragedy of January 4″, they protested, affirming that the two people who were shot dead had nothing to do with the violence prevailing in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area.”
A report of an incursion on January 5 from the Haiti Information Project: “Hundreds of Brazilian soldiers and special units of the Haitian National Police stormed the pro-Aristide neighborhood of Bel Air in the early morning hours of January 5. Residents were surprised and frightened by the armed incursion as gunfire broke out. Witnesses reported that five persons were killed as the operation unfolded… Following the military operation, UN peacekeepers were seen providing photo opportunities to the press as they fixed a few water pipes and cleared the carcasses of burned out vehicles blocking the road. ” The AHP said that the UN troops arrested 9 men in the neighbourhood.
A report from AHP on promised demonstration elections this year: “Interim Prime Minister Gérard Latortue declared Sunday that the elections will indeed go forward this year, despite, he said, the insecurity prevailing in Haiti. The next elections will be free, honest and democratic, he said. Gérard Latortue reaffirmed that February 7, 2006, will be his last day as Prime Minister. “It is out of the question for me to remain even one hour longer”, he promised. Mr. Latortue spoke against the proliferation of political parties in the country because, he said, that constitutes a threat to the success of the elections… Gérard Latortue said he hopes that no more than eight political parties will take part in the next elections scheduled for this year.”
A last crucial note courtesy of the World Bank, from January 6. The international community playing its time-honoured role: “On January 4, 2005, Haiti settled $52.6 million in overdue service payments to the Bank using its own reserves and a US$12.7 million grant contribution from Canada. This paved the way for the Bank to reinstate the country’s rights to make withdrawals under credit and grant agreements. With the exception of special grant programs, disbursements had been suspended since January 30, 2001, due to the accumulation of overdue payments to the Bank.”
So, the very first thing the World Bank has done for Haitians in the new year, after their government was ousted, after paramilitaries took over the country by massacring thousands, after the place was further devastated by hurricanes, was raid the Haitian treasury to the tune of $40 million. Canada went ahead and gave the World Bank another $12 million (Thanks, Canada).
Between the United Nations and the World Bank, Haitians are being helped from misery to even more grinding misery and from fear into massacre.
Add to this the recent $41
Add to this the recent $41 million “election aid” package [Reuters, Jan 11th] that the Haitian government signed with the UN. Largest contributor is Canada ($17 mil), followed by the U.S. and the EU, the ‘three’ primary players that took measures to economically strangle Aristide from 2000-2004, deliberately depriving his government of funds, instead giving them to USAID, CIDA, etc.-connected NGOs. Interesting how readily the aid is now beginning to flow to the puppet government given that virtually everyone agrees that Haiti is immeasurably worse off since Aristide was overthrown.
As far as I’ve seen, AHP is one of the few consistent and credible news wires coming out of Haiti. I don’t think they’re USAID or CIDA funded.
Brazilian soldiers? Lula has
Brazilian soldiers? Lula has sent Brazilian soldiers to defend the puppet government in Haiti? I understand that it must be difficult to seek a way out of neoliberalism that will not result in a sudden crippling of the economy. I’ve always hoped that Lula was simply seeking the way that would be best for the Brazilian people. However, I cannot see how allowing Brazilian soldiers to help occupy Haiti is anything other than showing how well he goes along. What’s next, Brazilian soldiers relieving Americans in Iraq?
They are looking for a seat
They are looking for a seat on the UN Security Council, as if that has any meaning.