Two Jordanian peacekeepers killed in Haiti

UN peacekeepers from Senegal keep watch during a
demonstration near MINUSTAH headquarters 16
January 2006 in Port-au-Prince, demanding more
security, an end to kidnappings and violence.
AFP PHOTO/ Walter ASTRADA

by Clarens Renois

Wednesday,  January 18, 2006

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AFP): Two Jordanian peacekeepers died in clashes in the Haitian capital Tuesday, heightening tensions three weeks before the country's presidential election.

One Jordanian soldier was killed instantly in a gun battle in a notorious shanty district, while another died from his wounds in hospital, a Jordanian military official told AFP.

A third Jordanian was wounded in a separate clash in the same Cite Soleil shanty.

The UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) has faced mounting criticism in recent weeks over its attempts to establish order in the country.

Nine soldiers in the UN force, four of them Jordanians, have been killed since it was deployed in June 2004, four months after President Jean Bertrand Aristide fled a popular uprising.

Another Jordanian was shot dead in Cite Soleil in December. The shanty is controlled by armed gangs and considered an Aristide stronghold.

On top of increasing violence, uncertainty in the poorest nation in the Americas has mounted as the long-awaited election to find a replacement for Aristide has been postponed four times.

Several hundred Haitians held a sit-in Monday outside the UN headquarters in Port-au-Prince to demand improved safety.

"We demand security for everyone in the country, Haitians want security and peace," read signs carried by protesters.

Leaders of the protest included businessman Andre Apaid and Charles Henri Baker, one of more than 30 candidates for the presidential election, for which the first round is now planned for February 7.

The protesters repeated accusations that soldiers from the 7,500-strong UN force had refused to undertake security missions as ordered.

The Brazilian officer in charge of MINUSTAH, General Urano Teixeira da Matta Bacellar, committed suicide this month for reasons that are under investigation.

On Sunday, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan criticized what he called a campaign against MINUSTAH and the UN representative in Haiti.

Despite the troubles, UN special envoy to Haiti Juan Gabriel Valdes confirmed that presidential and parliamentary elections will start on February 7.

The interim administration picked a new election date earlier this month after coming under international pressure to postpone the vote a fourth time.

"I repeat: There will be elections," Valdes told reporters in Buenos Aires. "The technical and political requirements have been met, and there is no reason to postpone them."

Valdes said security had improved in recent weeks after new checkpoints and other military measures were taken.

Meanwhile, a European Union delegation signed eight grants worth 1.6 million euros (1.9 million dollars) with eight Haitian human rights groups.

"These funds will serve to finance campaigns for education in democracy, for the deployment of national election observers and to strengthen the network for human rights in the country," the EU delegation said in a statement.

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