Coup-ridden Haiti looks to a new, sounder military force

PORT-AU-PRINCE: Haiti’s president has heralded the re-establishment of the country’s military after 22 years, a divisive issue in the impoverished Caribbean nation which has a history of bloody coups and political instability.

Haiti has been without military forces since 1995, when former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide disbanded the army after returning to power following a coup, leaving the national police responsible for security.

The army’s comeback has been a divisive topic in a country still suffering from a catastrophic earthquake and a fierce hurricane in recent years, with critics and activists concerned that armed forces would meddle in politics and rob essential resources from education and health care.

Haitian President Jovenel Moise on Thursday named former army colonel Jodel Lesage as acting commander-in-chief, moving troops closer to full operation. The appointment still needs to be approved by Haiti’s senate.

On Saturday, Moise welcomed the army’s anticipated return with a parade featuring dozens of camouflaged soldiers toting rifles in the northern coastal city of Cap-Haitien, calling on Haitians to recall the Battle of Vertieres won against French colonialists exactly 214 years ago.

“The army is our mother,” he said. “When your mother is sick and wears dirty clothes, you do not kill her. You take her to the hospital. So let us join forces to provide needed care to our mother.”

After Haiti’s independence, the military mounted dozens of coups and its forces were accused of rampant human rights abuses.

Moise has vowed that the new military would be different. A recruiting process was well under way by last July, attracting many young men in a country that is the poorest in the Americas. – Reuters