United Nations Presence in Haiti: Challenges of a Multidimensional Peacekeeping Mission
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UNITED NATIONS PRESENCE IN HAITI: CHALLENGES OF A MULTIDIMENSIONAL PEACEKEEPING MISSION WRITTEN BY EDUARDA HAMANN o o o CUBA 74 73 72 ÎLE DE LA TORTUE Palmiste ATLANTIC OCEAN 20o Canal de la Tortue 20o HAITI Pointe Jean-Rabel Port-de-Paix St. Louis de Nord International boundary Jean-Rabel Anse-à-Foleur Le Borgne Departmental boundary Monte Cap Saint-Nicolas Môle St.-Nicolas National capital Bassin-Bleu Baie de Criste NORD - OUEST Port-Margot Cap-Haïtien Mancenille Departmental seat Plaine Quartier Limbé du Nord Caracol Fort- Town, village Cap-à-Foux Bombardopolis Morin Liberté Baie de Henne Gros-Morne Pilate Acul Phaëton Main road Anse-Rouge du Nord Limonade Baie Trou-du-Nord Grande Plaisance NORD Milot Secondary road de Terre-Neuve Ferrier Dajabón Henne Pointe Grande Rivière du Nord Sainte Airport Suzanne Ouanaminthe Marmelade Dondon Perches Ennery Bahon N O R D - E S T Gonaïves Vallières 0 10 20 30 40 km Baie de Ranquitte la Tortue ARTIBONITE Saint- Raphaël Mont-Organisé 0 5 10 15 20 25 mi Pointe de la Grande-Pierre Saint Michel Baie de de l'Attalaye Pignon La Victoire Golfe de la Gonâve Grand-Pierre Cerca Carvajal Grande-Saline Dessalines Cerca-la-Source Petite-Rivière- Maïssade de-l'Artibonite Hinche Saint-Marc Thomassique HAITI Verrettes CENTRE Thomonde 19o Canal de 19o Saint-Marc DOM Pointe Pointe de La Chapelle Ouest Montrouis Belladère Magasin Lac de ÎLE DE Mirebalais Péligre LA GONÂVE Lascahobas INICA Pointe-à-Raquette Arcahaie Saut-d'Eau Baptiste Duvalierville Savenette Pointe Cornillon Abricots ÎLES CAYÉMITES Trou Jérémie Fantasque Thomazeau PRESQU'ÎLE É PORT- ta n N R E P U B L I C Bonbon DES BARADÈRES Canal de Croix des g AU- S Moron la Gonâve a Dame-Marie Roseaux PRINCE Bouquets u Gressier m Corail â Chambellan Petit Trou de Nippes t Pestel Carrefour Ganthier re Source Chaude Baradères Anse-à-Veau Pétion-Ville Anse d'Hainault Léogâne Fond Parisien Jimani GR AND E - A N S E NIPPES Petite Rivières Kenscoff de Nippes Miragoâne Petit-Goâve Les Irois Grand-Goâve OUEST Fonds-Verrettes L'Asile Trouin La Cahouane Maniche Camp-Perrin St. Louis Tiburon Les Anglais Cavaillon La Vallée SUD - E S T du Sud Aquin Cayes- Belle- Chardonnières SUD Vieux Bourg de Jacmel d'Aquin Jacmel Marigot Anse Port-à-Piment Côteaux Jacmel Thiotte Chantal Bainet The boundaries and names Côtes-de-fer Baie de Torbeck Les Cayes Jacmel Grand-Gosier shown on this map do not Roch-à-Bateau Banane imply official endorsement St.-Jean Cap Raymond or acceptance by the United du Sud Nations. Port-Salut CARI BBE A N S E A 74o ÎLE À VACHE 73o 72o 18o Anse-à-Pitres 18o Map No. 3855 Rev. 4 UNITED NATIONS Department of Field Support June 2008 Cartographic Section Introduction under the United States (US) zone of influence. It was Haiti has had a very complex and dynamic history, only after the end of the Cold War that the UN Security from its role as the “Pearl of the Antilles” in the 18th Council (UNSC) was involved with Haiti for the first time. century, to its label as the poorest country in the western From 1993 to 2004, six UN missions were approved and hemisphere in the 21st century. In the last 60 years or deployed to Haiti (the first one being a joint mission so – despite gross violations of human rights, lack of with the Organisation of American States). The last security and poor or no delivery of basic services to the and current mission, deployed in June 2004 and still population – Haiti remained out of the United Nations on the ground, is the UN Stabilisation Mission in (UN) security agenda because of its political inclusion Haiti (MINUSTAH), and is the only one that has a truly 38 I conflict trends REUTERS / THE BIGGER PICTURE Haitian children, standing in garbage outside their homes in Port-au-Prince, highlights the extreme poverty found in Haiti. multidimensional mandate. This seems to render it level of security for its people. A large number of more able to provide stability, and (eventually) promote coups d´états, together with self-referent political elites, sustainable peace in Haiti. This article aims to provide provided the basis for a non-functioning country for an overall and introductory discussion of the UN’s recent about 200 years. involvement in Haiti, with special attention to MINUSTAH More recently, in the mid-1950s, the Duvaliers and its multidimensional nature, highlighting some of its regime (1957-1986) began to use the existing structure features and main challenges. under its control to persecute and kill political adversaries or whoever would pose a threat to the regime. It is Background widely recognised that tens of thousands of people were Haiti is now considered a “failed state”.1 Although either assassinated or exiled by “Papa Doc” (Dr François this is a controversial statement, it basically refers to a Duvalier), who was followed in power by his son, “Baby country whose government is not capable of providing Doc”. For 30 years, Haitians faced repression, arbitrary basic security and development needs, and does not hold detentions and active violations of human rights, trying the monopoly over the use of force in its own territory.2 to resist through some level of armed violence – but Since its independence in 1804, the Republic of also with waves of demonstrations and mobilisations Haiti (Repiblik Dayti, in Créole) has continuously faced that only gained international support in the mid-1980s, problems and challenges in providing political stability, especially in the US. In the 1990 elections, amidst deaths economic growth, basic infrastructure and a minimum and other violent incidents, Father Jean-Bertrand Aristide conflict trends I 39 REUTERS / THE BIGGER PICTURE The government of Haiti is not able to provide people with basic security and development needs and the country has been considered a “failed state” rose to power, and formed a government with Prime deploying a mission every two years – on average – Minister René Préval. This is commonly referred to as the negatively affected the UN’s legitimacy and capacity of first free election in Haiti. A few months later, however, dealing with Haiti seriously. another coup d’état occurred, headed by General Cédras, A more comprehensive initiative was established by who remained in power until the end of 1994, despite oil, the UNSC on 30 April 2004, when resolution 1542 created arms and general trade embargoes imposed by the UN. MINUSTAH.3 From the beginning until its current format, During the coup regime in 1993, the then exiled MINUSTAH was founded on three main pillars: Aristide, with the support of the US, negotiated the first 1. secure and stable environment; involvement of the UN in Haiti through the International 2. political process; and Civilian Mission in Haiti (MICIVIH). This was a joint 3. human rights. mission between the UN and a regional organisation, This structure allowed MINUSTAH to be categorised the Organization of American States (OAS) – created in as a “multidimensional peacekeeping mission”, with February 1993 with a limited mandate to monitor the an intricate institutional arrangement in which the human rights situation in Haiti. Once Aristide returned military, police and civilian components all fall under to power at the end of 1994, MICIVIH’s mandate was the responsibility of a civilian appointed by the UN expanded also to include the more active promotion of Secretary-General (the Special Representative of the human rights and institution building. Secretary General – SRSG). Throughout the next 10 years, a series of UN The idea of creating and deploying multidimensional missions with very limited mandates followed. For peacekeeping missions is a (late) response by the UN several reasons, the UN could not negotiate a more to the complexity of contemporary armed conflicts, robust mission, and the simple fact of authorising and especially after the end of the Cold War. Although the 40 I conflict trends concept already existed in the UN by the time the first There are several differences when comparing (joint) mission was deployed to Haiti in 1993, it took the first peacekeeping mission in 1948 (or the first some time before the multidimensional structure was peacekeeping mission with troops in 1956) and the ones consolidated within the UN itself. MINUSTAH is the first that were authorised by the UNSC after the 1990s. Three UN mission in Haiti that truly integrates civilian, police main factors seem to be quite relevant: the features of and military components – at least at the strategic and the conflict, the nature of the response by the UN, and operational levels. This increases expectations in terms the evolution of the situation within the life cycle of the conflict. The first type of missions would traditionally of the delivery of stabilisation, security and development involve states as the main actors, would be somehow to the country. static in terms of the conflict cycle, and would depend highly on military tasks, such as monitoring ceasefires Multidimensional Peacekeeping Missions and patrolling buffer zones. They would not include Historical records show that most armed conflicts humanitarian assistance or development aid, nor would are intrastate in nature, at least since the end of the they deal with other aspects of the conflict that would Second World War.4 Nevertheless, it was only after the go beyond traditional military tasks. In the 1960s, the end of the Cold War that the UNSC acknowledged the UN started to recognise the relevance of the conflict challenges of armed conflicts as a threat to international cycle and some intrastate issues and, when designing peace and security. The late recognition brought several new tools for peacekeeping, the UNSC started deploying consequences to the type of solutions that the UNSC the first few police officers on the ground, with civilian would propose to deal with these threats.