UN troops from Nigeria must be removed

Greenacres, Florida, one year after Haitian Priorities Project recommended that Preval’s Government replace UN troops in Haiti, with police officers capable of speaking in Creole and French, nothing has been done to meet this demand.

The incident this weekend in Haiti which led to the death of a Nigerian police officer showed the importance of having troops capable of speaking in the vernacular language of the Haitian people to better maintain a close relationship with the people. According to the merchants around the Port-Au-Prince cathedral, UN troops from Nigeria opened fire on the street vendors after the death of the Nigerian police officer. They conducted an operation with great brutality—firing everywhere using tear gas without distinction. They set fire to vendor stalls and threatened passersby to burn them with the use of a tire around their necks (a practice known in Haiti as PèLebrun). We at the Haitian Priorities Project vehemently denounce the Nigerian troop actions as unacceptable that the UN troops would open fire willingly on the population—prostituting our brothers and sisters, killing our citizens, threatening to burn down our businesses and continue to operate in Haiti with impunity. “May the law protect or punish”, this is the motto or the sentiment that our founding fathers have operated by and we will accept no less than that today. We call on the forces of the nation, the Senate of the Republic, political parties, popular organizations, the churches, the Vodouisants, the private sector and students. We should all take note of this grave violation of our sovereignty and urge President Preval to assume his responsibility to protect our citizens and our land. Article 143 of the Haitian Constitution gives the President of the Republic the right and mandate to lead any army on Haitian soil or to designate a Haitian commander. We therefore ask that the government act promptly and take the lead of the UN troops operating in Haiti. If these tiny changes do not occur, the Preval government has a duty to explain to the population when in 2008 MINUSTHA will leave Haiti. If these minimal changes are not done, MINUSTHA must leave Haiti this year. The $600 million annual budget for MINUSTHA should be reallocated to funding needed projects in Haiti. Once and for all, Haiti can have the funds necessary to sprint into the 21st century. May Justice prevail before a total insurrection occurs against the forces of the United Nations which have caused so much death and mourning in Haiti. Haitian Priorities Project P.O. Box 882546 Port Saint Lucie, FL 34988 [url=http://www.hpp4haiti.com]http://www.hpp4haiti.com[/url] info@hpp4haiti.com 312-735-6071 ©2007 Haitian Priorities Project. All Rights Reserved

Guest Column——Bio and Archives

Items of notes and interest from the web.