The first foreign troops from a new United Nations-backed force have arrived in Haiti in an effort to combat escalating levels of gang violence in the Caribbean country.
On Wednesday, the Gang Suppression Force (GSF) announced on social media that an initial group from the African country of Chad had arrived. They were accompanied by Jack Christofides, a UN official from South Africa who is expected to helm the group’s efforts.
Haiti has had a long and troubled history of foreign intervention. Most recently, following a deadly 2010 earthquake in Haiti, an outbreak of cholera was linked to poor sanitation practices among UN peacekeepers, killing 10,000 people.
UN personnel in Haiti also faced multiple accusations of sexual assault in the 2000s and 2010s.
The thing about the UN is it makes a great accountability sink. When it does good the member countries take credit, when things go poorly it’s the UN that fucked up