UN admits civilians may have died in Haiti peacekeeping raid

[Clara T]

UN admits civilians may have died in Haiti peacekeeping raid
By Andrew Buncombe in Washington
Published: 10 January 2006

The UN has for the first time admitted that a number of innocent civilians may have become "collateral victims" and killed during a controversial raid by peacekeeping forces in Haiti. The admission will likely add to the tension inside the capital city, Port-au-Prince, already wracked by violence and chaos – and the recent suicide of the UN military commander - as it prepares for a crucial election.

The summary of an internal inquiry, passed to The Independent, says a number of people may been caught in crossfire between UN peacekeepers and armed gang members, headed by a well-known leader, Emanuel "Dread" Wilme. The report claims that UN troops fired only in self-defence.

The raid involving 400 peacekeepers took place last July in the Cite Soleil slum with the stated intention of cracking-down on gangs responsible for ongoing violence and kidnappings in the capital. Many of the gangs are supporters of former president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Mr Aristide, democratically elected and with overwhelming support among the poor, was ousted two years ago following an uprising organised mainly by members of the business elite who had received support from the US.

Video footage taken after the raid showed the bodies of numerous apparently unarmed victims. Independent witnesses said up to 23 people were killed – among them the wife and two young sons of Fredi Romelus, a Cite Soleil resident who told reporters that UN troops opened fire on his home. " They surrounded our house... and I ran thinking my wife and the children were behind me. They couldn't get out and the fired into the house," he said.

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

[papau]

1. Sadly, more such raids are needed - gang control of Cite Soleil is

causing tens of deaths daily, making life impossible.

The worst thing the UN could do would be to respond to the bull shit in the Independent and pull out of Cite Soleil (they moved out of their last garrison in Cite Soleil a few weeks ago but still patrol it)

Cite Soleil must be retaken by civil authority.

But there is no point in the UN hiding for 6 months that such actions will and do result in "collateral victims".