HAITI: Police return to Cite Soleil after two year absence

Haitian police returned to the Port au Prince slum of Cite Soleil on Wednesday (October 3, 2006) after a two year absence. UN peacekeepers had been the only ones patrolling the volatile slum in continuing efforts to bring peace to the hemisphere's poorest country. Haitian police were allowed back into Cite Soleil after talks between gang leaders and representatives of President Rene Preval's administration. "What we saw today is normal, the Haitian National Police Force must acknowledged that we are brothers and must work together, if there was a conflict with them in the past is because they were privatized by the interim government," said Cite Soleil resident, Samuel Leconte. Hatian police were pushed out of Cite Soleil after clashes with powerful gangs in the area. Life seemed to return to normal as residents of the slum removed barricades and children returned to school. Haiti has been plagued by political and gang violence since Jean-Bertrand Aristide was pushed from the presidency by a bloody rebellion in 2004. The poorest country in the Americas, it has relied since on Aristide's ouster on U.N. peacekeepers for security and on foreign aid for funds. Efforts by police and U.N. peacekeeping forces to disarm slum gangs and former members of Haiti's disbanded army have had little success, despite assurances by some gangs that they would hand over their guns after President Rene Preval, a one-time Aristide ally, was elected this year.

ITN Source | October 4, 2006

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