The United Nations Stabilisation Mission in Haiti (; ), also known as MINUSTAH, an acronym of its French name, was a UN peacekeeping mission in Haiti from 2004 to 2017. It was composed of 2,366 military personnel and 2,533 police, supported by international civilian personnel, a local civilian staff, and United Nations Volunteers. The mission's military component was led by the Brazilian Army and commanded by Brazilian officials.
The devastating January 2010 Haiti earthquake destroyed MINUSTAH's headquarters in Port-au-Prince and killed its chief, Hédi Annabi of Tunisia, his deputy Luiz Carlos da Costa of Brazil, and the acting police commissioner, RCMP Supt. Doug Coates of Canada.Sanon, Evens: "UN votes to end to Haiti peacekeeping mission in mid-October," April 13, 2017, Associated Press, retrieved September 26, 2024 The mission subsequently concentrated on assisting the Haitian National Police in providing security, while American and Canadian military forces distributed and facilitated humanitarian aid. Due to fears of instability following the earthquake, United Nations Security Council Resolution 1944 extended MINUSTAH's mandate, and it was periodically renewed until 2017.
Though effective in halting widespread violence, building a national police force, and stabilizing Haiti,Sanon, Evens: "UN ending 13-year military peacekeeping mission in Haiti," updated October 5, 2017, Associated Press, retrieved September 26, 2024 the mission was troubled from the start by some Haitians' objections to encroachment on their nation's sovereignty, then by the deadly introduction of cholera by Nepalese peacekeepers (ultimately killing over 9,000 Haitians), and by various allegations of human rights abuses, and sexual exploitation and abuse of Haitians (including children), by MINUSTAH personnel."UN agrees to shut down Haiti peacekeeping mission," April 14, 2017, Agence France-Presse (AFP), via Seychelles News Agency retrieved September 25, 2024
On April 13, 2017, amid growing controversy over the conduct of the mission and its personnel, the United Nations Security Council announced that the mission would end in October 2017. It was replaced by a much smaller follow-up mission, the United Nations Mission for Justice Support in Haiti (MINUJUSTH), which itself concluded in 2019.
Background
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. 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. In 2004, UN peacekeepers entered Cité Soleil in an attempt to gain control of the area and restore stability. The President of Guatemala also sent a small police delegation attached to TOMINUSHTA as translators.
Independent human rights organizations accused the Haitian National Police (HNP) and sometimes MINUSTAH of atrocities against civilians. 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.
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. 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; the Federal District's coroner's office concluded that the death was caused by a self-inflicted 9mm gunshot wound to the palate, though Dominican president Leonel Fernandez was shown to have expressed skepticism in leaked diplomatic cables.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.
On 14 February 2006, in its Resolution 1658, the United Nations Security Council extended MINUSTAH's mandate until 15 August 2006.
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. From 1 September 2007 until his death following the earthquake on 12 January 2010, the mission was led by Tunisian Hédi Annabi.
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. 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).
United Nations reports and resolutions 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.
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.
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.
In July, the General Assembly authorized the financing of the mission with US$200 million which followed a donors' conference in Washington DC.
The first progress report from MINUSTAH was released at the end of August.
In September the interim president of Haiti, Boniface Alexandre, spoke to the United Nations General Assembly in support of MINUSTAH.
In November there was a second report, and the Security Council mandate for MINUSTAH.
The mandate has most recently been extended by the Security Council until October 2010 "with the intention of further renewal".
Status and history
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. In January 2006, two Jordanian peacekeepers were killed in Cité Soleil. 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. 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. 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.
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. 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.
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. 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." Survivors frequently blame the UN peacekeepers for deaths of relatives.
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. The head of MINUSTAH called for a new government to be chosen as soon as possible. Meanwhile, the UN provided emergency food. Haiti was hit by four consecutive hurricanes between August and September 2008. These storms crippled coastal regions, requiring humanitarian aid for 800,000 people.
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.
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.
2010 earthquake