Defense

Haiti: Gunmen in Military Fatigues Arrive in Jacmel, Southeast

JACMEL, Haiti (defend.ht) – A group of men and women, armed and in military fatigues arrived on Tuesday at midday in the town of Jacmel and paraded in several streets of this southern city, located 86 km from Port-au-Prince.

These individuals claiming to be members of the disbanded armed forces of Haiti indicated that they came to the city in order to familiarize themselves with the population. One of their spokesmen, Sergeant Aubin Larose was very critical to the peacekeepers of the UN Mission for Stabilization in Haiti which he has called for the withdrawal.

They are, he said, guilty of many wrongdoings including rape, of girls and boys, murder by hanging, robbery, in addition to having introduced the cholera in the country.

Aubin Larose says his men are in the south-east, as part of a national tour in the country's 10 departments, in order to make themselves acquainted with the population.

However, the spokesman of the organization "Southeast Front", Vital Delouche, very hostile to the military, described as arrogant the presence of these armed men and women in the touristic city. He said noted that none of them is from Jacmel and promised to mobilize the population against these men and women which he said belonged to a pink militia.

"These are no soldiers but militia close to the government," said Vital Delouche.

In Petit-Goave (West), agents of the Departmental Unit for Maintaining Order (UDMO) supported by administrative officers from Port-au-Prince, have prevented a group of men in military fatigues to occupy an abandoned building owned the Biamby family under the Duvalier dictatorship.