New international intervention in Haiti

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Jean-Bertrand Aristide, the first democratically elected president in Haiti in 1990, abandoned the country on February 29, 2004 without completing his second term, in a grotesque replay of the worst authoritarian and violent practices in Haitian history. In order to establish minimum security for the transfer of power to an interim government, the UN authorized the immediate deployment of a multinational force, before taking charge itself in June, drawing upon Latin American human resources experienced in transition to democracy. The international community now intends to attain a better coordination of the support provided by a variety of multilateral and state actors, and to remain involved in the long term. MINUSTAH’s rather difficult beginnings mainly reflects Haitian ambivalence towards deeply rooted political habits and the uncertainties arising from a democratization project, as well as that of countries which are making their debut in peace operations. – Summary AFRI-2005