Haiti Report for June 29, 2005

The Haiti Report is a compilation and summary of events as described in Haitian and international media. It does not reflect the opinions of any individual or organization. This service is intended to create a better understanding of the situation in Haiti by presenting the reader with reports that provide a variety of perspectives on the situation.

IN THIS REPORT:
– American Consulate Reduces Personnel; Airlines Complain about Insecurity
– The International Red Cross will Resume Activities in Cite Soleil
– US House Okays Rep. Lee Amendment to Block Weapons to Haiti
– Head of UN Peacekeeping Says Parts of Haiti are Worse than Darfur
– Arrest in Relation to Kidnappings; New Kidnapping
– Dread Wilme Allegedly Wounded by MINUSTAH
– Elections
– UN Mission Extended and Expanded
– Inter-American Development Bank Approves Loan
– Canadian Government Issues New Travel Warning
– Three Cabinet Members Replaced
– Filipino Military Personnel to Haiti
– Inter-American Commission on Human Rights deplores escalating violence
– Spanish Troops to be Withdrawn Because Aid Hasn’t Arrived
– UN Special Envoy Calls for Release of Former Prime Minister Neptune
– Top US Diplomat Accuses Aristide of Personally Stirring Violence

American Consulate Reduces Personnel; Airlines Complain about Insecurity:
The American consulate has reduced its personnel in Haiti once again. This decision occurs following the lynching of one of its employees in a district of Port-with-Prince. Sources close to the embassy confirm that there is no relation between these two events. At the same time, the airlines are complaining that they are not making a good profits on people coming from abroad because passengers are deferring their visits until the holidays, or are choosing another destination. Airlines are complaining that they are losing hundreds of thousands of dollars.. According to sources, they may take serious decisions if nothing is done to end the insecurity in Haiti. Many Haitian families have already left the country because of the climate of violence and insecurity. Many private schools may be without teachers for the next academic year for the same reason. (AHP, 6/28)

The International Red Cross will Resume Activities in Cite Soleil:
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) announced Tuesday that is will resume its activities in the popular district of Cite Soleil. The institution closed its doors three weeks ago after two volunteers for the Haitian Red Cross were wounded by bullets in Cite Soleil. Walde Saugeron, a spokesperson for ICRC, explained that the institution decided to restarts activities following meetings with all the sectors concerned, particularly the Haitian police force, the MINUSTAH and also for the groups armed in Cite Soleil. According to Mr. Saugeron, it is essential that the activities of the Red Cross begin again in Cite Soleil because there is no one else who comes to the aid of this population, especially when there are casualties. (AHP, 6/28)

US House Okays Rep. Lee Amendment to Block Weapons to Haiti:
The U.S. government would be barred from giving weapons to Haiti under an amendment offered by Rep. Barbara Lee and approved by the House on a voice vote Tuesday night. “The Haitian National Police are intimidating, murdering and executing the poor and political opposition with weapons transferred free of charge from the United States to the government of Haiti, and this is simply unacceptable,” said Lee, D-Oakland. Lee’s amendment to the foreign operations appropriations bill, which still needs Senate approval, would stop the State Department from giving excess arms and ammunition free of charge to the Haitian National Police force. As many as 3,000 weapons have been transferred to Haiti since last year. The United Nations and Amnesty International have expressed concern about Haitian police involvement in political violence and human rights. (Oakland Tribune, 6/29)

Head of UN Peacekeeping Says Parts of Haiti are Worse than Darfur:
The head of U.N. peacekeeping operations says conditions in parts of Haiti are worse than in Sudan’s devastated Darfur region. The official expressed concern that even a newly strengthened peacekeeping force may be unable to provide security for upcoming elections in Haiti’s lawless regions. Undersecretary-General for Peacekeeping Jean-Marie Guehenno says Haiti is at the tipping point. With less than 100 days to go before elections begin, it is an open question whether Haitians can break the long cycle of violence and political failure that has left their country the poorest in the western hemisphere.

“One has to recognize it’s no quick fix in Haiti. At the moment, the police is broken, they have no resources, no electricity, no phones, no nothing, often no uniforms, cars, the judiciary is weak. So long as you don’t have an effective law and order structure that is trusted by people, seen as fair, impartial, has basic means to deliver law and order, you need an international presence there. You don’t create a police and rebuild a judiciary in a few months,” he said.

Mr. Guehenno added that the plight of Haitians may be even worse than that of the internally displaced people (IDPs) in Sudan’s Darfur region, considered the world’s worst humanitarian disaster. “A month ago I was in Darfur, and God knows the situation of the IDPs there is tragic, but at least, thanks to the mobilization of the international community, you see IDPs in camps in al Fasher or cities in Darfur, they have medical facilities, there is drinking water, there are latrines. It’s a terrible situation, but some of the basics are being provided by the international community. The Haitians in Cap Haitien, this is a quiet place, they have no drinking water, no latrines, garbage not collected, situation is squalor, its terrible. They are in [a] worse situation than some of the IDPs I saw in Darfur,” he noted.

“The troops will never enforce peace if the people are not at peace with themselves,” he explained. “If in the elections the Haitians demonstrate they are prepared to focus on the real problems of the country, then our presence even in limited numbers can really help provide that political space. If we see a very polarized situation, I’m worried that the troops won’t be enough.” (Voice of America, 6/28)

Arrest in Relation to Kidnappings; New Kidnapping:
Soldiers of the MINUSTAH took into custody Jerry Narcius for his supposed implication in acts of kidnapping. According to various sources, the individual comes from a great Haitian family, contrary to the propaganda that all the kidnappers come from the poplar neighborhoods. Persons in charge of the MINUSTAH rejected rumors indicating that Jerry Narcius works for the U.N. mission. Police refused to comment. However, certain police officers said the police force was going to question Jerry Narcius on his possible bonds with networks of kidnapping. Simultaneously a new case of kidnapping was reported in the last 24 hours. The owner of the Hotel el Rancho, Gladys Sylvéra was removed Thursday evening. A person in charge of an organization working in the field of the AIDS was kidnapped this Friday. In these two cases, the kidnappers demanded large ransoms. (AHP, 6/24)

Dread Wilme Allegedly Wounded by MINUSTAH:
Grassroots militants of Fanmi Lavalas confirmed that Cite Soleil gang leader Dread Wilmé was seriously wounded. He was wounded by bullets during an operation carried out Wednesday by soldiers of the MINUSTAH in this popular district. The spokesman of the militants of Cite Soleil, Rene Monplaisir, said that Dread Wilmé has been moved to a provincial town. According to Rene Monplaisir, approximately 20 people killed and 40 others wounded by U.N. soldiers at the time of their last interventions in the Cite. He denounced what he calls a plan of the temporary government aiming to physically eliminate the inhabitants of the popular districts because they pose an obstacle to elections scheduled later this year. (AHP, 6/24)

Elections:
The spokesperson for the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) stated that certain improvements have been made over the last few weeks. However, Patrick Féquière reaffirmed that the CEP will not be able to register the 4.5 million eligible voters before the deadline of July 31. Between 7-800,000 potential voters would be left out of the elections even if all the CEP’s computers were functioning properly. At the same time, the outgoing military commander of the MINUSTAH, the General Augusto Heleno Ribeiro, declared at the agency Agencia Brasil that the increase in violence with Port-au-Prince, could compromise the elections planned for the end of this year. (AHP, 6/20)

UN Mission Extended and Expanded:
The United Nations Security Council today extended the mandate of its peacekeeping mission in Haiti for a further eight months and added more than 1,000 personnel, bringing it to as many as nearly 9,400 in the run-up to a newly elected government’s inauguration next February. In a unanimously approved resolution the Council said it decided to extend the mandate of the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) until 15 February of next year, with the intention to renew it for further periods.

In response to Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s recommendations, it would also add, during the electoral period and subsequent changeover from the current Transitional Government, 750 troops for a rapid reaction force, 50 military personnel to create a sector headquarters in the capital, Port-au-Prince, and 275 civilian police (CivPol) to increase security. “For a temporary period MINUSTAH will consist of a military component of up to 7,500 troops of all ranks and of up to 1,897 Civilian Police,” the Council said.

Meanwhile, UN Under-Secretary-General Jean-Marie Guéhenno, who heads the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO), arrived in Port-au-Prince on a five-day fact-finding trip which will also take him to Gonaïves and Cap-Haïtien, MINUSTAH spokesman Damian Onsés Cardona said. (UN Daily News, 6/22)

“The new mandate gives us more possibilities for improving the security in Haiti,” Mr. Guéhenno told staff members at the Departmental Electoral Centre in Cap Haïtien, Haiti’s second largest city, where the staff described their experiences registering northern voters for the elections later this year. Mr. Guéhenno, along with Mr. Valdés, visited the Chilean contingent of MINUSTAH in Cap Haïtien for a briefing on the contingent’s accomplishments and challenges in providing a safe and secure environment in their area of responsibility, especially in preparation for the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) exercise and the elections. (UN Daily News, 6/27)

Inter-American Development Bank Approves Loan:
The Inter-American Development Bank today announced the approval of a $5 million soft loan to Haiti to strengthen public sector institutions in charge of revenue collection, budget formulation and execution and government procurement. “The goal is to reinforce Haiti’s capacity to launch key reforms to improve economic governance,” said IDB project team leader Roberto Camblor. “By improving the efficacy of its budget, revenue and spending control systems, the Haitian government will avoid losses and have more resources to invest in poverty reduction.”

The new loan is for 40 years, with a 10-year grace period and an annual interest of 1 percent during the first decade and 2 percent thereafter. Local counterpart funds will total $45,000. The IDB has the largest portfolio of loans in execution in Haiti, with some $330 million to finance economic and social development projects. Besides the public finances reforms, the IDB is supporting programs in priority sectors such as transportation, agriculture, health, basic education and job training, water and sanitation, local development and small productive projects across the country. Other loans under preparation totaling around $250 million will finance projects involving rural development, rural roads, environmental management and flood warning systems, urban center upgrading, access to credit for small and medium-size enterprises and deepening economic governance reforms. (IDB, 6/21)

Canadian Government Issues New Travel Warning:
The Canadian government issued a warning against travel to Haiti on Tuesday, citing a deteriorating security situation. It recommended that Canadians not travel to Haiti unless they have compelling business or family reasons. Ottawa also said that all Canadians already in the Caribbean country should take measures to ensure their safety. (Reuters, 6/21)

Three Cabinet Members Replaced:
Haiti’s interim leader replaced three Cabinet members amid mounting frustration over surging gang violence aimed at destabilizing the nation ahead of elections later this year. Justice Minister Bernard Gousse, who submitted his resignation last week, will be replaced by law professor Henri Marge Dorlean, Interim Prime Minister Gerard Latortue said Wednesday during a ceremony at the National Palace that was interrupted by gunfire from a nearby slum.

Latortue also replaced Interior Minister George Moise with Paul Gustav, the prime minister’s aide. Social Affairs Minister Pierre Paul Calixte will be replaced by Franck Charles, Latortue said. He gave no details on Charles’ background. Latortue gave no explanation for the Cabinet shuffle. But he said he was confident Gousse’s replacement would advance efforts to reform a crumbling judicial system that has left most of the country’s prisoners in jail for years without charge. Dorlean “is capable of reforming the justice system, especially regarding all the people who have been in jail for so long,” Latortue said. “He will be able to give Haitian justice a new image. Right now, many people’s image of the justice system is bad, very negative.” (AP, 6/22)

Filipino Military Personnel to Haiti:
Three hundred Filipino military personnel will start from Sunday to fly to Haiti and Liberia to replace existing peacekeeping contingents in the two strife-torn nations, the military said Friday. Military information office chief Lt. Col. Buenaventura Pascual said in a statement that the new batch of Philippine contingent to Haiti will consist of 145 personnel while the group headed for Liberia will be composed of 155 soldiers. “The deployment to these countries will end with the expected arrival of the last remaining troops from Haiti on July 10, 2005,” said Pascual. (Xinhua via COMTEX, 6/24)

Inter-American Commission on Human Rights deplores escalating violence:
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) wishes to express its grave concern over the escalating violence in the Republic of Haiti in recent months, which continues to claim lives on a daily basis and has nearly paralyzed the regular activities of Haitians, particularly those living in the capital, Port-au-Prince. The Commission has been informed of numerous serious incidents of violence, many of which have been perpetrated in the context of confrontations between illegal armed gangs and members of the Haitian National Police and which have claimed the lives of numerous civilians caught in the cross-fire. In recent months, the Haitian capital has also been gripped by a wave of violent incidents, and in particular, kidnappings, attacks on members of the transitional government, members of the business community, members of the Haitian National Police, and many others. The multiple kidnappings perpetrated in a day, the generalized nature of these incidents, and the new phenomenon of targeting children for abduction are all signs of how this wave of violence has taken on a new degree of severity.

The Commission condemns these acts of violence. While the Commission notes that some efforts are being made to assume greater control over the situation, such as the creation of a special unit within the HNP to investigate kidnappings and the launching of a crime hotline by the UN Stabilization Force’s civilian police component, the Commission considers that the current state of insecurity must be confronted more decisively by the government, in collaboration with the international community. As the Commission has previously observed, this ultimately requires the rigorous implementation of a comprehensive security and disarmament plan and urgent measures to enhance the capacity of the Haitian National Police. Without immediate and decisive measures to contain the violence, the Commission is concerned that the fall elections so vital to the country’s stability and progress will be jeopardized. In this regard, the Commission is encouraged by the recent decision taken by the U.N. Security Council in its Resolution 1608 (2005) to increase the number of military troops and civilian police.

The Commission also remains concerned about reports of arbitrary arrests and detentions as well as the rate of prolonged pre-trial detention in the country. In this connection, the Commission reiterates its concern over the prolonged delay by the Haitian justice system to conduct a timely investigation into the case of Mr. Yvon Neptune, as well as to determine the legality of his arrest and detention. The Commission emphasizes the prohibition against arbitrary arrests and detentions enshrined in Article 7 of the American Convention, and reiterates the State’s obligation to ensure that its efforts to investigate and prosecute crimes are undertaken through demonstrably fair and effective procedures that conform to international standards of due process. The Commission will continue to closely monitor events in Haiti and to provide assistance within its mandate in overcoming the challenges facing Haiti and its people. (OAS, 6/23)

Spanish Troops to be Withdrawn Because Aid Hasn’t Arrived:
Spanish Defense Minister Jose Bono reiterated Wednesday that he would withdraw Spanish troops from Haiti by the end of this year or early 2006 because the promised international aid has failed to arrive. Speaking before the Defense Commission of the Congress, Bono said there is more solidarity from the military than from the governments of those countries which promised donations that do not arrive. He said only 300 million US dollars out of 700 million pledged to support stabilization efforts have reached Haiti. Bono last threatened to pull out Spanish troops on May 4, when he said at the United Nations that Spain would withdraw its troops from Haiti by the end of this year, unless the promised aid is honored by the donor countries. Currently there are 200 Spanish marines involved in the UN Mission for the Stabilization of Haiti. (Xinhua via COMTEX, 6/22)

UN Special Envoy Calls for Release of Former Prime Minister Neptune:
June 23 (Reuters) – The U.N. special envoy to Haiti called on Haitian authorities on Thursday to release former Prime Minister Yvon Neptune, jailed a year ago on accusations he masterminded a massacre in February 2004. Neptune, who was charged in May, has rejected the accusations, which he says were politically motivated, and has reportedly refused food since mid-April to protest his detention. U.N. envoy Juan Gabriel Valdes criticized the way the judicial system had handled Neptune’s case and suggested the former prime minister could be freed while the case was prosecuted. “Our appreciation of the legal system and the procedures followed indicate to us that it would be perfectly possible to release Mr. Neptune from prison even if his case continued to be processed,” Valdes told reporters. (Reuters, 6/23)

Top US Diplomat Accuses Aristide of Personally Stirring Violence:
A top U.S. diplomat Thursday accused former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide of personally stirring the violence there and said Washington has expressed its concerns to South Africa, where he is living in exile. ‘’We believe that his people are receiving instructions directly from his voice and indirectly through his acolytes that communicate with him personally in South Africa,’’ said Roger Noriega, assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs.

‘’As a longtime observer of Haiti and a longtime consumer of information about Haiti, it is abundantly clear to me . . . that Aristide and his camp are singularly responsible for most of the violence and for the concerted nature of the violence,’’ Noriega told The Herald. His statement was the strongest so far blaming Aristide for the violence that has rocked the country since his ouster early last year amid an armed uprising. In the past, Washington has blamed the violence more generally on Aristide’s Lavalas Family Party.

‘’A few hundred principal bad guys’’ are behind the violence, Noriega said in a telephone interview. He made a quick visit to Haiti two weeks ago for a close-up look at the political and security situation. Asked if the U.S. government had expressed its concerns to South African officials, Noriega said, ``We have had the diplomatic contacts that you would expect us to have with the key actors, explaining that Aristide’s role is not a helpful one.’’ A South African government spokesman in Pretoria declined to comment.

Noriega also urged the U.N. peacekeeping force, known as MINUSTAH, to take a more ‘’proactive role’’ in going after the armed pro-Aristide gangs. He said the gangs were not many in numbers but were strategically based in slums near the airport road and commercial districts, allowing them to damage the Haitian economy. He said there also were some ‘’opportunistic criminal organizations’’ that engaged in kidnappings and other crimes, but that it was ``also extraordinarily apparent that Aristide and his gangs are playing a central role in generating violence, and trying to sow insecurity.’’

Noriega said Aristide had a 15-year ‘’pattern’’ of using political violence and that it was not surprising that he was making ``this one last stand to terrorize the Haitian people and deny them good government.’’ He praised the U.N. decision to extend and expand the mission, but added that the success or failure of MINUSTAH ``depends on what they do in the next days and weeks.’’ Asked if there was a resurgence in drug trafficking through Haiti because of lack of security, Noriega said, ‘’I don’t know that we can say that it’s gotten appreciably worse’’ but that there was a sense that drug traffickers were trying to set a stronger foothold in Haiti. (Miami Herald, 6/24)

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