Haiti’s army: Who needs them?

RASHMEE ROSHAN LALL October 17, 2013

Michel Martelly pushes ahead with reviving the army

…The Economist

THIS month, as every year since 2004, the United Nations Security Council agreed to extend its peacekeeping mission in Haiti. But the UN is at last making plans for its departure. The budget of the mission, known as Minustah, is down by 30% in the past two years, and its headcount is at its lowest in a decade.

Many Haitians may rejoice. They blame poor sanitary practice by Nepalese UN troops for a cholera epidemic which has killed more than 8,000 people since 2010. The UN denies responsibility, but on October 9th two NGOs filed a claim against it in a New York court.

Other Haitians fret that the winding down of Minustah may leave a security vacuum in a country still rebuilding after a devastating earthquake almost four years ago. The government proposes to fill it by reviving the country’s army, abolished in 1995 because of its history of coups. Michel Martelly, the president, says that the new army will provide stability and engineer development. Last month 41 military engineers trained in Ecuador returned home. Last year Brazil, which commands the Minustah contingent, announced that it would train 1,500 members of a Haitian defence force, possibly as engineers.

But does Haiti need an army? Mr Martelly acknowledges that the country faces no external threat. The UN has trained a police force that now numbers almost 11,000 and should reach 15,000 by 2016. With three-quarters of Haitians living on less than $2 a day, many foreign donors question whether the country should devote scarce cash to an army. This would cost more than double the official estimate of 1% of GDP, they say.

Mr Martelly’s plan appeals to lingering pride about the revolutionary force that fought colonial France and declared the world’s first black slave republic in 1804. “Remember, the army existed before the Haitian state,” says a former senior officer. “It is embarrassing to have your security provided by others.” But even he admits that the main threats are now poor government, corruption and weak institutions. Brazil’s defence minister said he has sought reassurance the newly trained men will not be used “as a personal militia”.

Haiti’s army: Who needs them?

Rashmee Roshan Lall

Michel Martelly pushes ahead with reviving the army

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