Despite Haiti facing yet another acute political, economic, and social crisis, the United Nations decided to end its 15-year-long Stabilization Mission (MINUSTAH), replacing the peacekeeping efforts with a smaller police force to be downsized after two years.
More than anything, the decision is a cost-cutting measure, framed by U.S. President Donald Trump’s intentions to reduce spending on the multilateral body. “Peacekeepers do fantastic work but they are very expensive and should be used only when needed,” British UN Ambassador Matthew Rycroft told Reuters. “We strongly support ending this mission and turning it into something else. And I think we’ll see the same thing elsewhere.”
The removal started two years ago when blue-helmet troops led by Brazil were pulled, turning the MINUSTAH into a “follow-up mission.” Military presence lasted in the country for 13 years, being one of the longest to run in recent times. During their time on the Caribbean island, peacekeepers were dogged with controversies — such as introducing cholera to the country, and several cases of sexual abuse and human rights violations.
It was also Brazil’s most ambitious military effort since it sent troops to Italy in World War II. And, as the MINUSTAH officially ends, we look back at the legacy Brazil is leaving behind.
Context: constant turmoil in Haiti
The MINUSTAH was approved by the UN Security Council on April 30, 2004, to re-establish the rule of law after the oft-troubled Haitian political scenario degraded to the cusp of civil war.
Then-President Jean-Bertrand Aristide was forced out of office by a combination of armed revolts, popular unrest, and pressure from the U.S. and France. On March 7, 2004, the Boston Globe wrote about the collapse of the country:
Today, Haiti’s government, which serves eight million people, has an annual budget of about [USD] 300 million – less than that of Cambridge, a city of just over 100,000. And as Haitians attempt to...
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