:United Nations Stabilisation Mission in Haiti

{{See also|2004 Haitian coup d'état}}

MINUSTAH was established by United Nations Security Council Resolution 1542 on 30 April 2004 because the Security Council deemed the situation in Haiti to be a threat to international peace and security in the region.{{cite web

|url=https://www.un.org/depts/dpko/missions/minustah/mandate.html

|title= Haiti - MINUSTAH - Mandate

|publisher=United Nations

|access-date=2007-08-15

}} According to its mandate from the UN Security Council, MINUSTAH was required to concentrate the use of its resources, including civilian police, on increasing security and protection during the electoral period and to assist with the restoration and maintenance of the rule of law, public safety and public order in Haiti.{{cite web |date=3 January 2006 |title=Haiti: former Senator detained after UN mission finds illegal weapons |url=https://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=17082&Cr=Haiti&Cr1 |access-date=2007-08-14 |publisher=un.org}} In 2004, UN peacekeepers entered Cité Soleil in an attempt to gain control of the area and restore stability.{{cite news |date=15 December 2004 |title=UN peacekeepers storm Haiti slum |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4096841.stm |access-date=2007-08-16 |work=BBC News}}

File:Port-au-Prince med.jpgThe President of Guatemala also sent a small police delegation attached to TOMINUSHTA as translators.

File:Casco azul con una niña.jpgian MINUSTAH soldier with a Haitian girl in February 2005]]

File:Brazilian soldier in Port-au-Prince 2010-02-26.JPG

Independent human rights organizations accused the Haitian National Police (HNP) and sometimes MINUSTAH of atrocities against civilians.{{cite web

|url=http://www.law.miami.edu/cshr/CSHR_Report_02082005_v2.pdf

|title=Haiti: Human Rights Investigation November 11–21, 2004

|publisher=Miami Law

|access-date=2007-08-15

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070810081052/http://www.law.miami.edu/cshr/CSHR_Report_02082005_v2.pdf |archive-date = 2007-08-10}}{{cite web

|url = http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGAMR360602004?open&of=ENG-HTI

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20050525234316/http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGAMR360602004?open&of=ENG-HTI

|url-status = dead

|archive-date = 2005-05-25

|title = Haiti: Amnesty International calls on the transitional government to set up an independent commission of enquiry into summary executions attributed to members of the Haitian National Police

|publisher = Amnesty International

|access-date = 2007-08-15

}}{{cite web

|url=http://www.law.harvard.edu/programs/hrp/CAP/Text/Haiti_English_Final.pdf

|title=Document currently not found

|publisher=Harvard Law

|access-date=2007-08-15

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060203213936/http://www.law.harvard.edu/programs/hrp/CAP/Text/Haiti_English_Final.pdf |archive-date = 2006-02-03}} It is still argued if any, or how many civilians were killed as a by-product of MINUSTAH crackdowns on criminals operating from slums. The UN and MINUSTAH expressed deep regret for any loss of life during operations.{{cite news

|url = http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article337553.ece

|title = UN admits civilians may have died in Haiti peacekeeping raid

|work = The Independent

|access-date = 2007-08-15

|location = London

|first = Andrew

|last = Buncombe

|date = 2006-01-10

|url-status = dead

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070930154521/http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article337553.ece

|archive-date = 2007-09-30

}}{{cite web

|url=https://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/minustah/pb060705e.pdf

|title=MINUSTAH Statement Relating to the Operation Conducted on 05 July 2005 at Cite Soleil

|publisher=UN United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti

|access-date=2007-08-15

}}

In early 2005, MINUSTAH force commander Lieutenant-General Augusto Heleno Ribeiro Pereira testified which was never aired publicly at a congressional commission in Brazil that "we are under extreme pressure from the international community to use violence", citing Canada, France, and the United States.{{cite web

|url=http://www.zcommunications.org/znet/viewArticle/7121

|title=Canada plays big role in propping up Haiti regime

|publisher=ZNet

|access-date=2007-08-15

}} Having ended his tour of duty, on 1 September 2005, Heleno was replaced by General Urano Teixeira da Matta Bacellar as force commander of MINUSTAH. On 7 January 2006, Bacellar was found dead in his hotel room;{{cite news

|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4590700.stm

|title=Haiti UN mission chief found dead

|work=BBC News

|access-date=2007-08-15

| date=2006-01-08

}} the Federal District's coroner's office concluded that the death was caused by a self-inflicted 9mm gunshot wound to the palate,{{cite web|url=https://oglobo.globo.com/mundo/laudo-confirma-suicidio-de-bacellar-4604801|publisher=O Globo|title=Laudo confirma suicídio de Bacellar|language=portuguese|date=11 January 2006|access-date=29 May 2024}} though Dominican president Leonel Fernandez was shown to have expressed skepticism in leaked diplomatic cables.[https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/jan/21/haiti-wikileaks?INTCMP=SRCH WikiLeaks points to US meddling in Haiti - Guardian UK by Kim Ives], The Guardian, 21 January 2011 His interim replacement was Chilean General Eduardo Aldunate Hermann.

On 17 January 2006, it was announced that Brazilian General José Elito Carvalho Siqueira would be the permanent replacement for Bacellar as the head of the United Nations' Haiti force.{{cite news

|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4624962.stm

|title=New peacekeeping head for Haiti

|work=BBC News

|access-date=2007-08-15

| date=2006-01-18

}}

On 14 February 2006, in its Resolution 1658, the United Nations Security Council extended MINUSTAH's mandate until 15 August 2006.{{cite web

|url = http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-02/15/content_4180775.htm

|title = Security Council calls on Haitians to refrain from violence

|publisher = China View

|access-date = 2007-08-15

|url-status = dead

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110514201825/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-02/15/content_4180775.htm

|archive-date = 2011-05-14

}}

MINUSTAH is also a precedent as the first mission in the region to be led by the Brazilian and Chilean military, and almost entirely composed of, Latin American forces, particularly from Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Ecuador and Uruguay.{{cite web

|url=http://www.focal.ca/pdf/Latam_military.pdf

|title=The Changing Role of the Military in Latin America

|publisher=Focal

|access-date=2007-08-15

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070710133152/http://www.focal.ca/pdf/Latam_military.pdf |archive-date = 2007-07-10}}

From 1 September 2007 until his death following the earthquake on 12 January 2010, the mission was led by Tunisian Hédi Annabi.{{cite web

|url=http://www.minustah.org/articles/639/1/Prise-de-fonction-du-nouveau-Representant-special-du-Secretaire-general-des-Nations-Unies-pour-Haiti-et-Chef-de-la-MINUSTAH/PIOPR347FR2007.html

|title=Prise de fonction du nouveau Représentant spécial du Secrétaire général des Nations Unies pour Haïti et Chef de la MINUSTAH

|publisher=MINUSTAH

|access-date=2007-08-31

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080108084526/http://www.minustah.org/articles/639/1/Prise-de-fonction-du-nouveau-Representant-special-du-Secretaire-general-des-Nations-Unies-pour-Haiti-et-Chef-de-la-MINUSTAH/PIOPR347FR2007.html |archive-date = 2008-01-08}}

India provided three units of around 500 police personnel for MINUSTAH. The Indian contingent joined the mission in October 2008, and were stationed in Port-au-Prince and Hinche. They were tasked with maintaining law and order, setting up and operating checkpoints, and anti-crime operations.{{cite news|title=Indian peacekeepers in Haiti safe, says CISF|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/Indian-peacekeepers-in-Haiti-safe-says-CISF/article16837553.ece|website=The Hindu|date=13 January 2010 |access-date=20 April 2017|language=en}} Two Indian police units remained in Haiti after MINUSTAH ended on 15 October 2017, to serve in the successor mission, the United Nations Mission for Justice Support in Haiti (MINUJUSTH).{{cite web|title=Two Indian police contingents to remain in Haiti as UN ends peacekeeping mission|url=http://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2017/apr/14/two-indian-police-contingents-to-remain-in-haiti-as-un-ends-peacekeeping-mission-1593673--2.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170421094349/http://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2017/apr/14/two-indian-police-contingents-to-remain-in-haiti-as-un-ends-peacekeeping-mission-1593673--2.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 21, 2017|website=The New Indian Express|access-date=20 April 2017}}

On 23 February 2004, the United Nations Security Council was convened at the request of CARICOM for the first time in four years to address the deteriorating situation in Haiti.{{UN document |docid=S-PV-4917 |date=26 February 2004 |type=Verbatim Report |body=Security Council |meeting=4917 |accessdate=2007-10-18}}

File:Forças especiais, Comandos (26439780640).jpg in 2011.]]

On 29 February 2004, the Security Council passed a resolution "taking note of the resignation of Jean-Bertrand Aristide as President of Haiti and the swearing-in of President Boniface Alexandre as the acting President of Haiti in accordance with the Constitution of Haiti" and authorized the immediate deployment of a Multinational Interim Force.{{UN document |docid=S-RES-1529(2004) |type=Resolution |body=Security Council |year=2004 |resolution_number=1529 |accessdate=2007-10-18 |date=29 February 2004}}

On 30 April 2004, MINUSTAH was established as a Chapter VII peace enforcement mission and given its mandate with a military component of up to 6,700 troops.{{UN document |docid=S-RES-1542(2004) |type=Resolution |body=Security Council |year=2004 |date=30 April 2007 |resolution_number=1542 |accessdate=2007-10-18}}

In July, the General Assembly authorized the financing of the mission with US$200 million{{UN document |docid=A-RES-58-311 |type=Resolution |body=General Assembly |session=58 |resolution_number=311 | date=30 July 2004 |accessdate=2007-10-18}} which followed a donors' conference in Washington DC.{{UN document |docid=S-PRST-2004-32 |type=Presidential Statement |body=Security Council |year=2004 |highlight=rect_229,555_813,687 |page=2 |accessdate=2007-10-18 |date=10 September 2004}}

The first progress report from MINUSTAH was released at the end of August.{{UN document |docid=S-2004-698 |type=Document |body=Security Council |year=2004 |document_number=698 |accessdate=2007-10-18 |date=30 August 2004}}

In September the interim president of Haiti, Boniface Alexandre, spoke to the United Nations General Assembly in support of MINUSTAH.{{UN document |docid=A-59-PV.6 |body=General Assembly |type=Verbatim Report |session=59 |meeting=6 |page=8 |anchor=pg008-bk07 |date=22 September 2004 |meetingtime=15:00 |speakername=President Alexandre | speakernation=Haiti |accessdate=2007-10-18 }}

In November there was a second report,{{UN document |docid=S-2004-908 |type=Document |body=Security Council |year=2004 |document_number=908 |title=Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti |date=18 November 2004 |accessdate=2010-01-14}} and the Security Council mandate for MINUSTAH.{{UN document |docid=S-PV-5090 |date=29 November 2004 |type=Verbatim Report |body=Security Council |meeting=5090 |accessdate=2007-10-18}}

The mandate has most recently been extended by the Security Council until October 2010 "with the intention of further renewal".{{UN document |docid=S-RES-1892(2009) |type=Resolution |body=Security Council |year=2009 |resolution_number=1892 |highlight=rect_192,812_817,892 |page=3 |accessdate=2009-10-29 |date=13 October 2009}}

{{See also|2004 Haitian coup d'état}}

File:US Navy 100316-N-9116F-001 A Brazilian U.N. peacekeeper walks with Haitian children during a patrol in Cite Soleil.jpg U.N. peacekeeper.]]

File:2010 Haiti earthquake USAID relief situation.svg

Although the United Nations Stabilization Mission (MINUSTAH) had been in Haiti since 2004, as of 2007, it continued to struggle for control over the armed gangs. It maintained an armed checkpoint at the entrance to the shanty town of Cité Soleil and a roadblock with armed vehicles.{{cite web

|url=http://www.redcross.int/EN/mag/magazine2006_2/10-11.html

|title= Hoping for change in Haiti's Cité-Soleil

|publisher=International Red Cross

|access-date=2007-08-16

}} In January 2006, two Jordanian peacekeepers were killed in Cité Soleil.{{cite news

|date=18 January 2006

|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4622772.stm

|title=Two UN soldiers killed in Haiti

|work=BBC News

|access-date=2007-08-16

}} In October 2006, a heavily armed group of the Haitian National Police were able to enter Cité Soleil for the first time in three years and were able to remain one hour as armoured UN troops patrolled the area. Since this is where the armed gangs take their kidnap victims, the police's ability to penetrate the area even for such a short time was seen as a sign of progress.{{cite web

|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/caribbean/news/story/2006/10/061004_soleil.shtml

|title=Haiti police visit gang stronghold

|publisher=BBC Caribbean

|access-date=2007-08-02

}} The situation of continuing violence is similar in Port-au-Prince. Ex-soldiers, supporters of the ex-president, occupied the home of ex-president Jean-Bertrand Aristide against the wishes of the Haitian government.{{cite news

|date=December 16, 2004

|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4100091.stm

|title=Ex-soldiers occupy Aristide home

|work=BBC News

|access-date=2007-08-16

}} Before Christmas 2006, the UN force announced that it would take a tougher stance against gang members in Port-au-Prince. However, since then, the atmosphere there has not improved and the armed roadblocks and barbed wire barricades have not been moved. After four people were killed and another six injured in a UN operation exchange of fire with criminals in Cité Soleil in late January 2007, the United States announced that it would contribute $20 million to create jobs in Cité Soleil.{{cite web

|url = http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=36772

|title = HAITI: Poor Residents of Capital Describe a State of Siege

|publisher = ipsnews

|access-date = 2007-08-02

|url-status = dead

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070814193944/http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=36772

|archive-date = 2007-08-14

}}{{cite web

|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/caribbean/news/story/2007/02/070202_citesoleilaid.shtml

|title=US aid for Cite Soleil

|publisher=BBC Caribbean

|access-date=2007-08-02

}}

In early February 2007, 700 UN troops flooded Cité Soleil, which led to a major gun battle. Although the troops make regular forcible entries into the area, a spokesperson said this one was the largest attempted so far by the UN troops.{{cite web

|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/caribbean/news/story/2007/02/070211_unhaiti.shtml

|title=UN troops flood into Haiti slum

|publisher=BBC New

|access-date=2007-08-14

}}

On 28 July 2007, Edmond Mulet, the UN Special Representative in Haiti and MINUSTAH Mission Chief, warned of a sharp increase in lynchings and other mob attacks in Haiti. He said MINUSTAH, which now has 9,000 troops there, will launch a campaign to remind people that lynchings are a crime.{{cite news

|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6920240.stm

|title=UN concerned at Haiti lynchings

|work=BBC News

|access-date=2007-08-02

| date=2007-07-28

}}

On 2 August 2007, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Haiti to assess the role of the UN forces, announcing that he would visit Cité Soleil during his visit. He said that it was Haiti's largest slum and, as such, was the most important target for U.N. peacekeepers in gaining control over the armed gangs. During his visit, he announced an extension of the mandate of the UN forces in Haiti.{{cite web

|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/caribbean/news/story/2007/08/070802_haitun.shtml

|title=UN chief visits Haiti

|publisher=BBC Caribbean

|access-date=2007-08-15

}} On 9 October 2009, 11 UN peacekeepers in Haiti were killed in a plane crash, in the city of Ganthier. It took MINUSTAH three months and 800 arrests to deal with the gangs and decrease the number of kidnappings on the streets.

President René Préval has expressed ambivalent feelings about the UN security presence, stating that "if the Haitian people were asked if they wanted the UN forces to leave they would say yes."{{cite web

|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/caribbean/news/story/2007/08/070802_haitun.shtml

|title=UN chief visits Haiti

|publisher=BBC Caribbean

|access-date=2007-08-02

}} Survivors frequently blame the UN peacekeepers for deaths of relatives.{{cite news

|url=http://observer.guardian.co.uk/world/story/0,,2047451,00.html

|title=Haiti's children die in UN crossfire

|publisher=Guardian Unlimited

|access-date=2007-08-02

| location=London

| first=Sandra

| last=Jordan

| date=2007-04-01

}}

In April 2008, Haiti was facing a severe food crisis as well as governmental destabilization to Parliament's failure to ratify the president's choice of a prime minister. There were severe riots, so the UN force fired rubber bullets in Port-au-Prince and the riot calmed.{{cite news

|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7341683.stm

|title= Calm returns to Haiti after riots

|access-date=2008-07-13

| date=2008-04-10

| work=BBC News}} The head of MINUSTAH called for a new government to be chosen as soon as possible. Meanwhile, the UN provided emergency food.{{cite news

|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7353712.stm

|title= UN appeals to Haitian politicians

|access-date=2008-07-13

| date=2008-04-17

| work=BBC News}} Haiti was hit by four consecutive hurricanes between August and September 2008. These storms crippled coastal regions, requiring humanitarian aid for 800,000 people.{{Cite journal

| last = André

| first = Richard

| title = A Haitian-American Perspective: Resilience in the Face of Tragedy

| journal = Americas Quarterly

| publisher = America Council and Society of the Americas

| date = 14 January 2010

| url = http://www.americasquarterly.org/node/1163

| access-date =2010-01-29 }}

Critics of MINUSTAH's goal of providing security said that the provision of increased police presence came with the unfortunate consequence of neglecting the vast socioeconomic problems in the area, the lack of effort in addressing infrastructure improvement, the joblessness, and the pervasive poverty. In 2009, with the appointment of former U.S. President Bill Clinton as the UN Special Envoy, there was hope that the international donor community would provide increased aid. MINUSTAH renewed its commitment to Haiti, and $3 billion for projects was pledged by the international community, mainly for rebuilding after the hurricanes. However, in Cité Soleil, there were signs of a desire for political independence from the efforts of the international community.{{Cite journal

| last = Guidi

| first = Ruxandra

| title = MINUSTAH Focuses on Security in Haiti's Cité Soleil Slum

| journal = Americas Quarterly

| publisher = America Council and Society of the Americas

| date = 20 August 2009

| url = http://www.americasquarterly.org/haiti-cite-soleil

| access-date =2010-01-29 }}

In October 2010, nine months after the earthquake, the UN extended MINUSTAH's mission. In the capital, there were protests from those who want the MINUSTAH to leave. Demonstrators chanted "Down with the occupation" and burned the flag of Brazil, as representative of the largest contingent of MINUSTAH.{{cite news|url=http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2010/10/2010101516941370819.html |title=Anti-UN protesters block Haiti base - Americas |publisher=Al Jazeera English |access-date=2012-05-02}}

File:UN Haiti - MINUSTAH HQ after 2010 earthquake.jpg

On 12 January 2010, the United Nations reported that headquarters of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), the Christopher Hotel in Port-au-Prince, collapsed, and several other UN facilities were damaged; a large number of UN personnel were unaccounted for in the aftermath of a major earthquake.{{cite news |title= Briefing by Martin Nesirky, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, and Jean Victor Nkolo, Spokesperson for the President of the General Assembly |url=https://www.un.org/News/briefings/docs/2010/db100113.doc.htm |work=United Nations |date=2010-01-13 |access-date=2010-01-13 }} The Mission's Chief, Hédi Annabi, was reported dead on 13 January by President René Préval and French news sources, and on 16 January, the United Nations confirmed the death after his body was recovered by a search and rescue team from China.{{cite web |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE60C5N820100113 |title=U.N. mission chief in Haiti killed in quake |publisher=Reuters |date=2009-02-09 |access-date=2010-01-13}} Principal Deputy Special Representative Luiz Carlos da Costa was also confirmed dead, as well as the Acting Police Commissioner, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Superintendent Doug Coates, who were meeting with eight Chinese nationals—four peacekeepers and a delegation of four police officers from China—when the earthquake struck.{{cite web|url=https://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/missions/minustah/documents/sg_statement_16012010pdf.pdf|title=Statement of confirmation of death of Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Haiti, Hédi Annabi, Principal Deputy Special Representative, Luiz Carlos da Costa, and Acting UN Police Commissioner in Haiti, Doug Coates |publisher=United Nations|access-date=17 January 2010}} The Chinese search and rescue team recovered the bodies of the ten individuals on 16 January 2010. Jens Kristensen, senior humanitarian officer for the UN, was rescued by a team from the state of Virginia after five days trapped in the rubble.Christian Science Monitor, [http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Americas/2010/0126/Haiti-earthquake-How-a-top-UN-official-was-plucked-from-the-rubble "Haiti earthquake: How a top UN official was plucked from the rubble"], Howard LaFranchi, 26 January 2010 (accessed 30 January 2010)

File:Minustah.png

File:Aid airdrop over Mirebalais 2010-01-21 3.JPG in January 2010]]

File:MINUSTAH peacekeepers continue to work to find survivors after an earthquake (12 january 2010).jpg

• Juan Gabriel Valdés of Chile, August 2004 to May 2006.{{cite web

|url=https://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2004/sga881.doc.htm

|title=Juan Gabriele Valdes appointed special representative and head of UN Mission in Haiti

|publisher=www.un.org

|access-date=2008-07-13}}

• Edmond Mulet of Guatemala, June 2006 to August 2007.{{cite web

|url=https://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2006/sga1007.doc.htm

|title=Secretary-General appoints Edmond Mulet of Guatemala his special representative in Haiti

|publisher=www.un.org

|access-date=2008-07-13}}

• Hédi Annabi of Tunisia, September 2007 to January 2010.{{cite web

|url=https://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/sga1081.doc.htm

|title=Secretary-General appoints Hédi Annabi OF Tunisia Special Representative, Head of United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti

|publisher=www.un.org

|access-date=2008-07-13}}

• Edmond Mulet of Guatemala, January 2010 to June 2011.{{cite web

|url=https://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2010/sga1228.doc.htm

|title=Secretary-General appoints Edmond Mulet of Guatemala his special representative in Haiti

|publisher=www.un.org

|access-date=2008-07-13}}

• Mariano Fernández of Chile, June 2011 to January 2013.{{cite web

|url=https://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2011/sga1293.doc.htm

|title=Secretary-General appoints Mariano Fernández of Chile as special Representative for Haiti and Head of Stabilization Mission there

|publisher=www.un.org}}

• Nigel Fisher of Canada, January 2013 to July 2013 (interim appointment).News (Press) (2010-04-29). [https://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2010/sga1233.doc.htm Secretary-General Appoints Nigel Fisher (Canada) Deputy Special Representative, Ad Interim, for Haiti]. The UN Website, retrieved 20 October 2011
• Sandra Honoré of Trinidad and Tobago, July 2013 to October 2017.{{Cite web |url= https://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2013/sga1408.doc.htm |title= Secretary-General appoints Sandra Honore of Trinidad and Tobago as his Special Representative in Haiti |publisher=Department of Public Information |work=Article |date= 31 May 2013}}

• Maj. General Augusto Heleno Ribeiro Pereira, Brazil, 2004 to August 2005
• Maj. General Urano Teixeira da Matta Bacellar, Brazil, September 2005 to January 2006.{{cite news

|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4205630.stm

|title= New commander leads Haiti force

|access-date=2008-07-13

| date=2005-09-01

| work=BBC News}}

• Maj. General Eduardo Aldunate Hermann, Chile, January 2006 (interim appointment).
• Lt. General José Elito Carvalho Siqueira, Brazil, January 2006 to January 2007.{{cite web

|url=http://www.unis.unvienna.org/unis/pressrels/2006/sga975.html

|title=Secretary-General Appoints Lieutenant General José Elito Siqueira Carvalho new Force Commander of UN Mission in Haiti

|publisher=www.unis.unvienna.org

|access-date=2008-07-13}}

• Maj. General Carlos Alberto dos Santos Cruz, Brazil, January 2007 to April, 2009.{{cite web

|url=https://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=21192&Cr=haiti&Cr1=

|title=Haiti: Brazilian general to be new Force Commander for UN peacekeeping mission

|date=9 January 2007

|publisher=www.un.org

|access-date=2008-07-13}}

• Maj. General Floriano Peixoto Vieira Neto, Brazil, April, 2009 to March 2010.
• Maj. General Luiz Guilherme Paul Cruz, Brazil, March, 2010 to March 2011
• Maj. General Luiz Eduardo Ramos Baptista Pereira, Brazil, March, 2011 to March 2012
• Maj. General Fernando Rodrigues Goulart, Brazil, March 2012 to March 2013
• Lt. General Edson Leal Pujol, Brazil, March 2013 to March 2014
• Lt. General Jose Luiz Jaborandy Junior, Brazil, March 2014 to August 2015
• Brig. General Jorge Peña Leiva, Chile, September to October 2015 (interim appointment)
• Lt. General Ajax Porto Pinheiro, Brazil, October 2015 to October 2017.

File:U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Matt Kirkland and a United Nations peacekeeper from Sri Lanka provide security for Haitian women receiving bags of rice for their families at a food distribution point in Carrefour, Haiti 100216-N-HX866-010.jpg provide security for Haitian women receiving bags of rice for their families at a food distribution point in the city of Carrefour]]

In October 2010, a cholera outbreak was confirmed in Haiti—the first in the country's modern history. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as of 4 August 2013, over 800,000 cases and 9,600 deaths had been reported since the outbreak first began in October 2010.{{cite web|title=Cholera in Haiti|url=http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/watch/haiti-cholera|publisher=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention|access-date=12 September 2013}} MINUSTAH was linked with introducing the disease to the country by sources such as the CDC, the American Society for Microbiology, Yale Law School and the School of Public Health.{{cite web|last=Edmonds|first=Kevin |title=Who protects us from you? Minustah and Haiti|url=http://www.stabroeknews.com/2011/features/10/17/%E2%80%9Cwho-protects-us-from-you%E2%80%9D-%E2%80%93-minustah-and-haiti/|publisher=Guyana Publications Inc|access-date=12 September 2013}} The cause of the disease was attributed to faulty construction of UN sanitation systems in its base located in the town of Méyè.{{cite web|title=Peacekeeping Without Accountability|url=http://www.ijdh.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Final-Report.pdf|publisher=Yale Law School|access-date=9 September 2013|author1=Rosalyn Chan |author2=Tassity Johnson |author3=Charanya Krishnaswami |author4=Samuel Oliker-Friedland |author5=Celso Perez Carballo |name-list-style=amp }} Many reports from Méyè stated that people had seen sewage spilling from the UN base into the Artibonite River, the largest river in Haiti, and which is used by residents for drinking, cooking, and bathing.{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11943902 |title= Haiti cholera: UN peacekeepers to blame, report says |date=8 December 2010 |work= bbc.co.uk |publisher= BBC News |access-date=25 July 2013}}

In December 2010, a study traced the Haitian cholera strain to South Asia. The UN conducted an independent investigation into the origin of the epidemic at the end of 2010. A panel of independent UN experts was assembled and their collective findings were compiled in a report. The panel determined that the evidence implicating the Nepalese troops was inconclusive. Though they admitted that the cholera strain was most likely from Nepal, it cited a confluence of factors that also contributed to the outbreak and that no one "deliberate action of, a group or individual was to blame".{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/01/world/americas/haitis-cholera-outraced-the-experts-and-tainted-the-un.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 |title= In Haiti, Global Failures on a Cholera Epidemic |last1= Sontag |first1=Deborah |date=31 March 2012 |publisher= NY Times |access-date=25 July 2013}} However, in 2013, the committee changed its statement concluding that the UN troops from Nepal "most likely" were the cause of the outbreak.{{cite web|title=UN's Own Independent Experts Now Say MINUSTAH Troops "Most Likely" Caused Cholera Epidemic|url=http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/relief-and-reconstruction-watch/uns-own-independent-experts-now-say-minustah-troops-most-likely-caused-cholera-epidemic|publisher=Center for Economic and Policy Research|access-date=9 September 2013}}

The Bureau des Avocats Internationaux (BAI), a Haitian coalition of lawyers, and the Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti (IJDH), its U.S. affiliate, filed claims with MINUSTAH on behalf of 5,000 Haitian petitioners in November 2011. The claims asked for the installation of the water and sanitation infrastructure necessary to control the epidemic, compensation for the victims, and an apology.{{cite web |url=http://www.ijdh.org/advocacies/our-work/cholera-advocacy/#.UfFCA2TzZDw |title= The Cholera Accountability Project |publisher= Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti |access-date=25 July 2013}} Fifteen months later, in February 2013, the UN stated that the case was "not receivable," because it involved "review of policy matters", citing the Convention on Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations.{{cite web|title=Haiti's Cholera Outbreak Tied To Nepalese U.N. Peacekeepers| website=NPR.org |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=211434286|publisher=NPR|access-date=9 September 2013}} In October 2013, BAI, IJDH, and another U.S. law firm filed a lawsuit challenging UN immunity in U.S. federal court on behalf of Haitian and Haitian-American victims of the cholera epidemic.{{cite web|title=Cholera litigation|url=http://www.ijdh.org/cholera/cholera-litigation/|website=www.ijdh.org|publisher=Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti|access-date=June 16, 2015}} In January 2015, Judge J. Paul Oetken of the U.S. District Court in Manhattan dismissed the lawsuit, affirming UN immunity.{{cite news|last1=Ingram|first1=David|title=U.S. judge rules Haitians cannot sue U.N. for cholera epidemic|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-un-haiti-lawsuit-idUSKBN0KJ0PX20150110|website=www.reuters.com|date=10 January 2015 |agency=Reuters|access-date=16 June 2015}} In May 2015, an appeal to Oetken's decision was filed.{{cite web|title=15-455-cv United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit|url=http://www.ijdh.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Georges-v-UN-Principal-Appellate-Brief-5.28-Final.pdf|website=www.ijdh.org|publisher=Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti|access-date=16 June 2015}}

In February 2013, the Haitian government created its National Plan for the Elimination of Cholera, a 10-year plan set to eradicate the disease. Two of the ten years will be devoted as a short-term response to the epidemic. The last eight will be to completely eliminate the disease. The projected budget for the plan is $2 billion.{{cite web|last=Watts|first=Jonathan|title=Haiti seeks $2bn for cholera epidemic 'introduced by UN peacekeepers'|date=29 November 2012 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/nov/29/haiti-appeal-cholera-nepal-peacekeepers|publisher=Guardian News and Media Limited|access-date=9 September 2013}} To support the initiative, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon pledged $23.5 million to combat cholera. However, following the pledge, there was much discontent with the UN's progress. 19 members of the U.S. Congress urged the UN to take responsibility for cholera in Haiti. In two separate occasions, members of the US Congress sent a letter to the US ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice, urging her and the organization to ensure that the cholera initiative was fully funded and implemented quickly.{{cite web|title=Members of U.S. Congress urge U.S. government to support UN cholera initiative|url=http://canadahaitiaction.ca/content/members-us-congress-urge-us-government-support-un-cholera-initiative|publisher=Canada Haiti Action Network}} Nineteen US Representatives also wrote to Ban Ki-Moon to express concerns about the seeming lack of progress in the UN's cholera response.{{cite web|last=Waters|first=Maxine|title=19 Members of U.S. Congress urge UN to take responsibility for cholera in Haiti|url=http://www.sentinel.ht/gtranslate/translate.php?lang=ne&url=politics/articles/international/4423-19-members-of-u-s-congress-urge-un-to-take-responsibility-for-cholera-in-haiti|publisher=The Defend Haiti|access-date=2013-09-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131225134438/http://www.sentinel.ht/gtranslate/translate.php?lang=ne&url=politics%2Farticles%2Finternational%2F4423-19-members-of-u-s-congress-urge-un-to-take-responsibility-for-cholera-in-haiti|archive-date=2013-12-25|url-status=dead}} Ban Ki-moon told members of the US Congress that the UN was committed in helping Haiti overcome the epidemic though no financial compensation to the victims would be granted.{{cite web|last=Lederer|first=Edith|title=UN chief assures US Congress of commitment to help Haiti overcome cholera epidemic|website=Star Tribune |url=http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/health/214433981.html}} Since 2010, the UN has spent and/or committed more than $140 million to the epidemic.

On 9 May 2013, the Haitian Senate unanimously voted—save for one abstention—on a policy that would demand the UN to compensate the nation's cholera victims. The Senators also proposed to form "a commission of experts in international and penal law to study what legal means, both nationally and internationally, could be used to prove MINUSTAH's responsibility for starting the cholera outbreak."{{cite web|last=Ives|first=Kim|title=Cholera Legal Suit Against the UN Takes Shape: Lawyers Seek Haitian Claimants in New York|date=22 May 2013 |url=http://haitianalysis.blogspot.com/2013/05/cholera-legal-suit-against-un-takes.html|publisher=Haiti Analysis}}

In August 2016, a report written by UN special rapporteur Philip Alston was leaked to the New York Times. Alston issued a scathing condemnation of the UN's legal approach to cholera in Haiti, which he termed "morally unconscionable, legally indefensible and politically self-defeating." Alston also lamented that the UN's approach "upholds a double standard according to which the U.N. insists that member states respect human rights, while rejecting any such responsibility for itself."{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/18/world/americas/united-nations-haiti-cholera.html|title=U.N. Admits Role in Cholera Epidemic in Haiti|last=Katz|first=Jonathan M.|date=2016-08-17|work=The New York Times|access-date=2017-06-08|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}

Four months later, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon issued an apology for the UN's role in the cholera outbreak and stressed the organization's "moral responsibility" to fight the disease.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/01/world/americas/united-nations-apology-haiti-cholera.html|title=U.N. Apologizes for Role in Haiti's 2010 Cholera Outbreak|last=Sengupta|first=Somini|date=2016-12-01|work=The New York Times|access-date=2017-06-08|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}} Though the apology stopped short of admitting fault for introducing the disease to Haiti, many victim advocates saw it as a major milestone. Ban also launched "a new approach" to cholera by the UN, in the form of a two-track plan. The UN would raise $400 million in voluntary contributions from member states, with $200 million dedicated to providing material assistance to communities most affected by cholera, and another $200 million going to fight the disease.{{Cite web|url=https://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=55682#.WTmP5BPytPM|title=UN News - Haiti: UN's new approach on cholera puts people at heart of the response|last=Section|first=United Nations News Service|date=2016-11-30|website=UN News Service Section|language=en|access-date=2017-06-08}} However, the plan gained little traction among member states. Because remaining funds allocated to MINUSTAH were not required to be repurposed for cholera reparations, many member states took back their contributions, and by July 2017 just $9.22 million had been raised.{{Cite news|url=https://theglobalobservatory.org/2017/04/cholera-haiti-minustah-peacekeeping/|title=Will State Inaction at UN Imperil Haiti Cholera Response?|work=IPI Global Observatory|access-date=2017-06-08|language=en-US}}

From the beginning, MINUSTAH was squeezed between traditional conservative sectors —which demanded more action— and the leftist parties, mainly linked to ousted President Aristide, which criticized its actions and constantly appealed for its departure.{{Citation needed|date=August 2019}} A number of scandals implicated MINUSTAH peacekeepers in sexual exploitation and abuse of Haitians, including Haitian children.[https://ijdh.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/EPU-2016-SEA-MINUSTAHs-victims-rights-english-version-1.pdf On the abuse and sexual exploitation of Women, Girls, and young Men by United Nations agents, and the violation of the right to access remedies,] Republic of Haïti Submission to the United Nations Human Rights Council, 26th session of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review, (unofficial translation) March 24, 2016, by a coalition of Haitian human rights groups, retrieved September 26, 2024

Even though mostly composed by military forces—the recruitment of large numbers of foreign police officers has proven difficult—the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti is a police mission of the United Nations dispatched to a country facing uncontained violence stemming from political unrest and from common criminals.Lindsay, Reed. "Peace despite the Peacekeepers in Haiti." NACLA Report on the Americas 39:6 (May 2006):31-6, p. 34. Partidaries of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide have characterized MINUSTAH as an attempt by the United States, Canada and France to neutralize the supporters of Fanmi Lavalas, Aristide's party.{{cite news|url=http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=1140321&lang=eng_news|title=US lawmaker criticizes Haiti election exclusions|last=Evens Sanon |first=and Jonathan Katz|date=2009-12-24|publisher=Taiwan News|access-date=23 January 2010}} and secure the more pro-Western government of Gérard Latortue. The mission was mandated to assist and reinforce the action of the Haitian Police in Port-au-Prince's slums.Harvard Law Student Advocates for Human Rights and Centro de Justica Global. [http://www.fidh.org/IMG/pdf/KeepingthepeaceJusticiaGlobal-4.pdf Keeping the Peace in Haiti? An Assessment of the UN Stabilization Mission In Haiti], March 2005.

On 6 July 2005, MINUSTAH, led by Brazilian general Augusto Heleno{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-brazil-violence-insight/general-behind-deadly-haiti-raid-takes-aim-at-brazils-gangs-idUSKCN1NY0GM|title=General behind deadly Haiti raid takes aim at Brazil's gangs|work=www.reuters.com|author=Gabriel Stargardter|date=November 29, 2018|access-date=November 29, 2018}} carried out a raid in the Cité Soleil section of Port-au-Prince.{{cite news |first=Naomi |last=Klein |title=My date with Aristide Ousted Haitian prez reveals he was tossed because he refused to privatize |url=http://www.nowtoronto.com/news/story.cfm?content=148513&archive=24,47,2005 |publisher=Now |date=July 21–28, 2005 |access-date=2009-04-20 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091014042005/http://www.nowtoronto.com/news/story.cfm?content=148513&archive=24,47,2005 |archive-date=2009-10-14 }} The raid targeted a base of illegally armed rebels led by the known bandit Dread Wilme. Reports from pro-Lavalas sources, as well as journalist Kevin Pina, contend that the raid targeted civilians and was an attempt to destroy the popular support for Haiti's exiled former leader, Aristide, before scheduled upcoming elections.

Estimates on the number of fatalities range from five to as high as 80, with the higher numbers being claimed by those reporting that the raid targeted civilians. All sources agree that no MINUSTAH personnel were killed. All sources also agree that Dread Wilme (born "Emmanuel Wilmer") was killed in the raid. MINUSTAH spokespeople called Wilme a "gangster." Other sources, such as the pro-Aristide Haitian Lawyers Leadership Network call Wilme a community leader and a martyr.{{cite web

|url=http://www.margueritelaurent.com/pressclips/haitianlawyers.html

|title=Haitian Lawyers Leadership Network

|access-date=2007-08-15

}}

The incident has been since heralded by groups who oppose the MINUSTAH presence in Haiti and who support the return of ousted President Aristide. MINUSTAH has also been accused by Fanmi Lavalas supporters of allowing the Haitian National Police to commit atrocities and massacres against Lavalas supporters and Haitian citizens.

On 6 January 2006, UN mission head Juan Gabriel Valdés announced that MINUSTAH forces would undertake another action on Cité Soleil. On one side, traditional Haitian sectors criticized MINUSTAH for "standing by and not stopping the violence taking place in slums like Cité Soelil"; on the other hand, human rights groups were prepared to condemn MINUSTAH for any collateral damage deriving from their actions. It was reported that Valdés said, "We are going to intervene in the coming days. I think there'll be collateral damage but we have to impose our force, there is no other way."{{cite web

|url = http://www.ijdh.org/articles/article_halfhourforhaiti_1-10-06.htm

|title = Half-Hour for Haiti: Stop "Collateral Damage" in Cite Soleil

|publisher = Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti

|access-date = 2007-08-15

|url-status = dead

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070729192545/http://www.ijdh.org/articles/article_halfhourforhaiti_1-10-06.htm

|archive-date = 2007-07-29

}}

MINUSTAH soldiers have been accused of being involved in a number of cases of sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) of Haitians—including various sexual assault cases, and cases of child rape and child sexual exploitation.

Klarreich, Kathie: [https://100r.org/2015/01/the-u-n-in-haiti-when-protectors-turn-predators/ "United Nations in Haiti_ When Protectors Turn Predators,"] January `12, 2015, 100reporters.org, [https://kogainon.com/100Reporters/HAITI/Title.html full article, in pages], at kogainon.com, retrieved September 26, 2024

{{main|Sexual abuse scandal in Haiti}}

There were a number of accusations of exploitation of children by MINUSTAH troops, including accusations that some MINUSTAH troops from Sri Lanka had lured hungry children with food, into sexual service to the troops, who allegedly handed the children around among themselves. In November 2007, 114{{cite web|url=https://www.un.org/apps/news/ticker/tickerstory.asp?NewsID=24514 |title=Haiti: Over 100 Sri Lankan blue helmets repatriated on disciplinary grounds – UN |access-date=2007-11-04 |date=2007-11-02 |work=United Nations }} members of the 950-member Sri Lanka peacekeeping contingent in Haiti were accused of sexual misconduct and abuse.{{cite journal|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-dec-15-fg-haitisex15-story.html |title=U.N. confronts another sex scandal |access-date=2008-11-07 |date=2007-12-15 |journal=Los Angeles Times |first=Carol J. |last= Williams}}{{cite news | title=Sri Lanka to probe UN sex claims | date=2007-11-03 | url =http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7076284.stm | work =BBC | access-date = 2007-11-05 }} 108 members, including 3 officers were sent back after being implicated in alleged misconduct and sexual abuse.{{cite news | first=B. Muralidhar | last=Reddy | title= Part of Sri Lankan contingent in Haiti to be sent back | date=2007-11-05 | url =http://www.hindu.com/2007/11/04/stories/2007110457201800.htm | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20071106051401/http://www.hindu.com/2007/11/04/stories/2007110457201800.htm | url-status =dead | archive-date =2007-11-06 | work=The Hindu | access-date = 2007-11-05 }}

UN spokeswoman Michele Montas said: "The United Nations and the Sri Lankan government deeply regret any sexual exploitation and abuse that has occurred." The Sri Lankan Officials claim that there is little tangible evidence on this case. After inquiry into the case the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) has concluded 'acts of sexual exploitation and abuse (against children) were frequent and occurred usually at night, and at virtually every location where the contingent personnel were deployed.' The OIOS had assisted in the pending legal proceedings initiated by the Sri Lankan Government and has said charges should include statutory rape "because it involves children under 18 years of age".{{cite web|url=http://www.sundaytimes.lk/080330/News/news0015.html |title=UN confirms sex charges |access-date=2008-03-30 |date=2008-03-30 |work=Sundaytimes }}

Ultimately, several Sri Lankan personnel were disciplined, and some officers were "asked" to resign, for violations of military rules. However, the sexual activity in the cases was judged by Sri Lankan authorities to have been "consensual", and thus not criminal under Sri Lankan law. None of the Sri Lankans were imprisoned.

In 2011, four Uruguayan UN marines were accused of gang raping a 19-year-old Haitian male in Port-Salut. It was said the alleged rape was recorded with a cell phone by the peacekeepers themselves and leaked to the Internet.{{cite web|last=Weisbrot|first=Mark|title=Is this Minustah's 'Abu Ghraib moment' in Haiti?|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/sep/03/minustah-un-haiti-abuse|publisher=Guardian News and Media Limited|access-date=11 September 2013|date=3 September 2011}} The teenager and his family were forced to relocate their house after the video went viral.{{cite web|last=Klarreich|first=Kathie|title=Will the United Nations' legacy in Haiti be all about scandal?|url=http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Americas/2012/0613/Will-the-United-Nations-legacy-in-Haiti-be-all-about-scandal|publisher=The Christian Science Monitor|access-date=10 September 2013|date=13 June 2012}}

Ultimately, the victim went to Uruguay to testify against the accused, and four of the five accused were convicted of "private violence" (a lesser charge than rape or assault). The outcome was viewed as a rare victory, of sorts, for victims of U.N. peacekeepers, because the perpetrators are rarely convicted for their crimes.

In March 2012, three Pakistani MINUSTAH officers were found guilty of raping a mentally challenged 14-year-old boy in the town of Gonaïves. Pakistani officials sentenced each officer to one year in a Pakistan prison.{{cite book|title=Human Rights Watch: Haiti|chapter=World Report 2013: Haiti |chapter-url=https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2013/country-chapters/haiti|access-date=12 September 2013|year=2013}}

In 2015, a new U.N. investigation was released, accusing MINUSTAH peacekeepers of abusing further hundreds of Haitians, and citing MINUSTAH as one of the four U.N. peacekeeping operations, worldwide, with the highest rate of U.N. peacekeepers' sexual exploitation and abuse of local populations.Rahul Sur, et al: [https://www.un.org/en/ga/sixth/70/docs/oios_report.pdf Evaluation of the Enforcement and Remedial Assistance Efforts for Sexual Exploitation and Abuse by the United Nations and Related Personnel in Peacekeeping Operations,] Assignment No. IED-15-001, ¶ 7, May 12, 2015, Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) Evaluation Report, United Nations, retrieved September 26, 2024

In interviews, UN investigators interviewed 231 Haitians who "admitted to having transactional sex with [MINUSTAH] peacekeepers," often in exchange for food, shelter, medicine and other basic necessities.

In 2015, a coalition of Haitian human-rights and public-assistance organizations released a joint statement, complaining of the sexual abuse and exploitation of Haitians by MINUSTAH peacekeepers, civilian and military, and complaining of the inability of Haitians to counter those actions with prosecution or other forms of redress.

They specifically called for the United Nations and local officials to cooperate in investigating the crimes, and keep and make public records of the allegations and crimes. They also called for the cases to be referred to "local judicial system," and for paternity lawsuits against relevant U.N. personnel. For those accused MINUSTAH personnel investigated and/or prosecuted in their home country for crimes in Haiti, the coalition demanded that the U.N. provide ongoing information on the status of those cases. It finally called for a clarification of U.N. personnel responsibilities in these matters.

In April, 2017, immediately following the Security Council's unanimous vote to end MINUSTAH, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., Nikki Haley—who had been arguing for a review of U.S.-funded U.N. peacekeeping missions, in a view to reduce spending—made a public issue of the allegations of child sexual abuse and exploitation by MINUSTAH peacekeepers, noting that the damage to the Haitian children would last beyond the peacekeepers withdrawal.

In 2010, Gérard Jean-Gilles, a 16-year-old Haitian boy who ran miscellaneous errands for the Nepalese soldiers in Cap-Haitien, was found dead hanging inside of MINUSTAH's Formed Police Unit base. UN personnel denied responsibility, claiming that the teen committed suicide. The troops released the body for autopsy seventy-two hours after the death; the examination ruled out suicide as a potential cause of death.{{cite web|title=MINUSTAH: Keeping the peace, or conspiring against it?|url=http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/docs/icb.topic996528.files/MINUSTAH-White-Paper1.pdf|publisher=Harvard University|access-date=9 September 2013}} Nepalese UN troops were also accused for other misdeeds. Several days before the Jean-Gilles incident, the local press charged a Nepalese soldier of torturing a minor in a public area in Cap-Haitien. The soldier was said to have forced "his hands into the youth's mouth in an attempt to separate his lower jaw from his upper jaw, tearing the skin of his mouth."{{cite web|title=What Happened to Gerald Jean Gilles?|url=http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/relief-and-reconstruction-watch/what-happened-to-gerald-jean-gilles|publisher=Center for Policy and Economic Research|access-date=12 September 2013}}

People related to Fanmi Lavalas (Haiti's largest leftist party) have repeatedly expressed discontent with MINUSTAH and its management of political public dissent. Protests on 15 November 2010 in Cap-Haitien and other areas of the country resulted in at least two civilian deaths and numerous injuries. MINUSTAH stated that the protests seemed politically motivated, "aimed at creating a climate of insecurity on the eve of elections." Regarding the deaths, it stated that a UN peacekeeper shot out of self-defence.{{cite web|title=In Response to Protests, MINUSTAH Disregards Legitimate Grievances|url=http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/relief-and-reconstruction-watch/in-response-to-protests-minustah-disregards-legitimate-grievances|publisher=Center for Policy and Economic Research|access-date=12 September 2013}}

Fanmi Lavalas (the party of former President Aristide) took part in the burial of Catholic priest Gerard Jean-Juste on 18 June 2009. It was later reported that the procession was suddenly interrupted by gunfire. Fanmi Lavalas witnesses said that MINUSTAH Brazilian soldiers opened fire after attempting to arrest one of the mourners; the UN denied the shooting and reported that the victim had been killed by either a rock thrown by the crowd or a blunt instrument.{{cite news |url=http://www.sfbayview.com/2009/a-funeral-and-a-boycott-%E2%80%98the-struggle-continues%E2%80%99-in-haiti/ |title=A funeral and a boycott: 'The struggle continues' in Haiti |last=Pena |first=Kevin |date=20 June 2009 |publisher=San Francisco Bay View |access-date=2010-01-14}}

A trial is currently in progress at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR). The case, brought forward by Mario Joseph from the Bureau des Avocats Internationaux (BAI) and Brian Concannon from the Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti, concerns Jimmy Charles, a grassroots activist who was arrested by UN troops in 2005, and handed over to the Haitian police. His body was found a few days later in the morgue, filled with bullet holes.{{cite web

|url=http://www.ijdh.org/Charles1.JPG

|title=Photo of Jimmy Charles in morgue

|publisher=Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti

|access-date=2009-06-26

}} The BAI filed a complaint in Haitian courts, to no avail, and in early 2006 it filed a petition with the IACHR. The IACHR accepted the case regarding the State of Haiti, and rejected the complaint against Brazil.{{cite web|url=http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/cases/65-06.html |title=Admissibility Jimmy Charles v. Haiti, Case 81-06, Report No. 65/06, Inter-Am. C.H.R., OEA/Ser.L/V/II.127 Doc. 4 rev. 1 (2007) |publisher=.umn.edu |access-date=2012-05-02}}

On 13 April 2017, the Security Council announced the replacement of this mission by a follow-up operation called the United Nations Mission for Justice Support in Haiti (MINUJUSTH) from 15 October 2017.

Eighteen Rwanda National Police officers were decorated with service medals for their outstanding peacekeeping role in Haiti.{{cite web|url=http://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/article/2017-04-25/211267/ |title=Rwandan Police peacekeepers in Haiti decorated |editor=Press |date=24 April 2017 |publisher=The New Times |access-date=24 April 2017}}

• United Nations Mission in Haiti
• List of UN peacekeeping missions
• List of countries where United Nations peacekeepers are currently deployed

{{Reflist|30em}}

{{Commons category|United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH)}}

• {{Official website|http://www.minustah.org/}} {{in lang|fr}}
• {{Official website|http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/minustah/}}
• [https://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/missions/minustah/background.shtml MINUSTAH Background]
• [http://minustah.org/?page_id=7858 MINUSTAH Historique] {{in lang|fr}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20050701105317/http://www.state.gov/p/io/fs/2004/48612.htm U.S. State Department Bureau of International Affairs' Fact Sheet]
• [http://www.nepalpolice.gov.np/minustah_mission_in_UN.php Documentation of Nepal's contribution to MINUSTAH]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20070218023623/http://www.haiti.ejercito.mil.ar/ Documentation of Argentine Army's contribution to MINUSTAH]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20060509015639/http://www.fuerzaaerea.mil.ar/misiones/haiti.html Documentation of Argentine Air Force's contribution to MINUSTAH]
• [http://www.ara.mil.ar/pag.asp?idItem=280 Documentation of Argentine Navy's contribution to MINUSTAH]
• [http://www.mofa.go.jp/mofaj/gaiko/pko/minustah.html Documentation of Japan's contribution to MINUSTAH]
• [http://www.defence.lk/PrintPage.asp?fname=20061207_02 Sri Lanka's contribution to MINUSTAH]
• [https://www.flickr.com/photos/minustah/ MINUSTAH Photos in Haiti]
• [https://www.youtube.com/user/MinustahTV MINUSTAH Videos in Haiti]
• [http://tv29.stream-music.net/root/castcontrol/playlist.php?port=8016&type=pls MINUSTAH FM RADIO Streaming iTunes]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20100929133253/http://radio.minustah.org/live.html MINUSTAH FM RADIO Streaming Windows Media Player]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20070729192545/http://www.ijdh.org/articles/article_halfhourforhaiti_1-10-06.htm Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti]

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Haiti

Haiti

Category:Political history of Haiti

Category:2004 in Haiti

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Category:Military operations involving India

Category:Haiti and the United Nations