CSMS Magazine Staff WritersWhile condemning all human rights violations and calling on all Haitians to renounce violence, the UN Security Council has once again voted to renew the UN mission in Haiti. It said the mission shall comprise up to 7,200 troops, nearly 2,000 international police officers, and 16 corrections officers to address the shortcomings of the Haitian prison system. This represents a slight increase over the current mission. The U.N. mission replaced a U.S.-led force deployed after an uprising toppled President Jean-Bertrand Aristide on Feb. 29, 2004. More than 400 people died in clashes involving pro- and anti-Aristide street gangs, police, peacekeepers and ex-soldiers who helped oust Aristide. Haiti experienced relative calm after President Rene Preval’s February election. Since May, however, dozens of foreigners and Haitians have been kidnapped and gang fighting has forced hundreds to flee their homes in the capital.The council strongly supported Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s intention to maximize the U.N. force’s “crime prevention role, particularly with regard to the threat of gang violence and kidnapping.”The council also urged Haitian authorities to complete run-off legislative and municipal elections as soon as possible. The council said the U.N. mission “constitutes a key actor in the continuing stabilization of the county” and in assisting the government to ensure stability in the country.
United Nations Security Council has voted to renew the UN mission in Haiti
