A new allegation of rape involving Pakistani soldiers and three young Haitian boys in the city of Gonaives has triggered renewed protests and demands from Haitian senators that U.N. soldiers lose immunity and be tried in a Haitian court.
Efforts to replace the 10,581-strong U.N. force with a new Haitian army also persist. And anger over a deadly cholera epidemic, which originated near a U.N. camp and has sickened more than a half-million people and killed about 7,000 people, continues.
"The image of their forces has deteriorated," said Daly Valet, a political analyst and editor of Le Matin newspaper in Port-au-Prince.
At the same time, the delegation led by the United States will find a post-quake nation whose huge problems continue to exceed the limits of the U.N.'s mandate.
Political infighting and deepening polarization and debate have paralyzed the country in recent months, making for a potentially volatile situation.
"The recent two-year anniversary of the tragic earthquake makes this a good time for the council to go there and assess progress and encourage Haitian leaders and U.N. officials to take further positive steps," said Kurtis Cooper, a spokesman for the U.S. mission. "Clearly many challenges lay ahead, especially how to create economic opportunities for the Haitian people. And it is now time for President Michel Martelly and the Haitian government to convert their good ideas into actions."
Haiti continues to face absolute misery, and there's little that either Haiti's new Martelly administration nor the UN seem to be able to do about the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. While Europe is certainly falling apart and we have problems here in the US, Haiti has largely been ignored. Hopefully the UN will start to take real action in Haiti and soon.
It would be nice if the rest of the planet did too.
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