Good News From Haiti

"Good news" is a sort of oxymoron in any case but it is especially rare for the Republic of Haiti, over 200 years independent, over 200 years of turmoil, violence and corruption. Lately, enough positive changes have occurred in the security sector, however, that it may be safe to say that today, there is some good news coming out of Haiti. One can only hope that with a bit more stability in the capital and the outlying territories, the government and outside investors will be able to help bring an end to the still rampant poverty.

Under President Renee Preval, elected in 2006, Haiti has begun to see peace in its streets. According to NPR's latest piece on Haiti, the UN stabilization mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) "...has managed to control security because of Preval." Late last year, the president agreed to sign over more authority to the UN mandate, enabling peacekeeping troops to go after gang leaders in the anarchical streets of Cite Soleil.

Figures provided by the U.N. show the dramatic downward trend in the violence nationwide. In January 2006, there were 240 attacks on U.N. troops. Over the past four months, there have been only 12. Kidnappings are down as well: six in June, compared to 162 in December 2005.

The commander in charge of the peace keeping troops, Brazillian Carlos Alberto Dos Santos, is responsible for spearheading this mission. Whether by luck or strategy, the "soccer-mad" Haitian residents of Cite Soleil resisted less to the presences of these foreign soldiers because a majority came from Brazil, a favorite soccer team.

Lourdes Garcia-Navarro of NPR writes,

Furious building is going on at city hall, another sign of improving times. But while everyone concurs that security has improved, Haiti is still a place of abject poverty. There is no fighting, but there also is still no work.

The UN has a mandate to improve public buildings, but foreign aid will have to come from governments as well as private-sector organizations. Less violence and a more stable government infrastructure are the first steps needed toward greater investment. Haiti has a lot of potential; perhaps it is on the brink of realizing some.