In his article at the Nation, "10 Reasons Why the UN Occupation of Haiti Must End," Greg Grandin writes that the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti should make a speedy withdrawal from that country, saying that the effort has been dogged by malfeasance.
Earlier this month, an explosive cellphone video [5] documenting the alleged sexual assault of an 18-year-old Haitian man by five Uruguayan troops belonging to a contingent of the UN Stabilization Mission generated a firestorm of controversy, Grandin writes. The defense minister ordered the immediate repatriation of the soldiers shown in the video, who now await further legal action in jail.
As a result of the video, the mission, better known by its French acronym MINUSTAH, has become the target of demonstrations. MINUSTAH chief Mariano Fernández argued [6] that "acts of a few should not also tarnish [the image] of thousands of military, police and civilian personnel serving MINUSTAH and Haiti impeccably since 2004."
These are not the acts of a few. Allegations of such wrongdoing have occurred throughout MINUSTAH's seven-year military presence.
As Grandin points out, no reduction in the size of the forces will address the seriousness of the charges against MINUSTAH. The UN occupation has only added to the disasters that Haiti has been forced to contend with.
Read more at the Nation [7].
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