Son prédécesseur s'est suicidé de remords

Le nouveau commandant des forces MINUSTAH fut officier sous Pinochet. Pas de remord pour celui-là: la démocratie est finalement en marche.

Port au Prince -- As pressure from Haiti's elite on MINUSTAH (United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti) continues to escalate, so too does the violence perpetrated by UN forces against civilians in Cite Soleil. The death toll in the desperately poor neighborhood has been climbing steadily since the Group 184 organized a business strike and a demonstration on January 16th outside UN headquarters in Port-au-Prince with the aim of pushing MINUSTAH to do more to provide security and eliminate so-called terrorists in the city's poorest neighborhoods. At least 10 civilians have been killed by UN forces this week.

[...]

The actions of MINUSTAH in Cite Soleil make one wonder just whom is terrorizing whom. The Geneva convention states that “Combatants must distinguish between civilian and military objects and attack only military targets.” (Protocol I, Art. 48). Residents that we interviewed stressed that the two men who had been gunned down in the street were unarmed. It is impossible to make the argument that eight year old Valencia is a combatant. The Geneva convention also specifically protects hospitals, stating that “Fixed establishments and mobile medical units must be protected and respected by all sides in a conflict.” (Convention I, Art. 19). If the United Nations is willing to ignore international law to serve the interests of the rich in Haiti, it should be cause for concern not only for residents of Cite Soleil, but for citizens the countries like Canada whose governments are supporting the UN mission here.

UN commits war crimes in Cite Soleil, Haiti, Leslie Bagg, 20 janvier 2006

Photos