Evidence is mounting that United Nations peacekeepers
shot and killed unarmed civilians, including children,
during a recent raid in Haiti. The UN said it was ready
to investigate the alleged 'use of unnecessary force'.
Independent witnesses say up to 23 people were killed
during the raid and that many were shot in the head.
Video footage seen by The Independent shows the bodies
of many killed in the capital, Port-au-Prince, and
contains testimony from witnesses claiming the victims
were killed by 'blue helmets' common parlance for UN
peacekeepers.
In a statement, the UN Mission in Haiti (Minustah)
said: '[UN forces] did not target civilians in the
operation ... but the nature of such missions in densely
populated urban areas is such that there is always a
risk of civilian casualties. Minustah deeply regrets any
injuries or loss of life during its operation.'
Yesterday, the most senior UN peacekeeping official
appealed to the Security Council for specialised troops
for Haiti admitting the forces available were not
trained for such raids.
The footage of the aftermath of the 6 July raid in
the Cité Soleil slum was taken by a team led by
Haitian-based journalist Kevin Pina. Pina said: '
Numerous witnesses said the victims were killed by UN
forces the Haitian National Police (HNP) were not
even there. I think the fact the UN did not bring a
single doctor or ambulance with them on this mission is
extraordinary surely you would do that whether you
were targeting criminal gangs or civilians? It is
interesting that so many victims were shot in the head.
I think the reason they did not bring ambulances is that
they were not shooting to wound, they were shooting to
kill.'
The raid took place against a backdrop of violence in
Haiti ahead of autumn elections. Authorities say much of
the violence is perpetrated by criminal gangs with links
to the former president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
But since the ousting of the democratically elected
Mr Aristide last year, human rights groups have detailed
repression of his supporters by the US-backed interim
government and the HNP. A report by the human rights
programme at Harvard Law School said there were also
'credible allegations of human rights abuses perpetrated
by Minustah'.
Minustah said its dawn raid, involving more than 400
troops, targeted the gang leader known as 'Dread Wilme',
who is accused of murder and kidnapping. He and four
alleged associates were killed.
But other independent witnesses support Pina's
evidence that civilians werealso killed. David Welsh, of
the US Labour/Human Rights Delegation to Haiti, was at a
conference in Port-au-Prince that weekend. Delegation
members interviewed witnesses and filmed the bodies of
victims. He described the shooting as a
"massacre": 'Based on witnesses' testimony and
the number of bodies we were able to confirm, we believe
that at least 23 people were killed,' he said.
Among the dead were four-year-old Stanley Romelus,
who was shot in the head; his mother, Sonia, and his
one-year-old brother, Nelson. The boy's father said they
were killed in their house after UN forces threw smoke
grenades. His testimony is to be included in a
documentary Pina is producing based on the footage.
Christophe Fournier, Médecins Sans Frontières,
which has a clinic close to Cité Soleil, said: "On
that day we treated 27 people for gunshot wounds. Of
them, around 20 were women under the age of 18."
Minustah claims it received 'unconfirmed information'
that criminal gangs were seen killing civilians after
its operation. It said: " Subsequently, these
elements attributed these atrocious acts to Minustah."
At UN headquarters yesterday, Jean-Marie Guehenno,
undersecretary-general for peacekeeping, asked for
specialist troops for Haiti. 'I have to acknowledge the
forces we have do not have the kind of very specialised
capacity ... that makes absolutely sure that there will
be zero civilian casualties in a densely populated
environment.'
