14 February 2007

Confronting armed gangs head-on is not the way to permanently reduce insecurity in Haiti, ActionAid warned as the UN prepares to consider how to bring lasting stability to the conflict torn Caribbean state.

Raphael Yves Pierre, the Country Director of ActionAid in Haiti said: “We welcome the recent announcement that the Security Council is looking at ways to inject new dynamism into the judicial reform programme.

“However the current approach to the disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration programme (DDR) cannot continue.”

Last Friday (February 9) more than 700 United Nations troops went into an area of the Cité Soleil quarter of the capital Port-au-Prince, where one of the most notorious gang leaders and his "army" are said to have their base, but were only able to find one weapon.

Mr Yves Pierre added: "It is imperative that both the sources and storage of illegal weapons be targeted. The current programme remains too ambiguous and it is not transparent enough, either through lack of capacity or political will or a combination of both.

"What is needed is a bold democratic national strategy to reform the police and judicial system involving a broad spectrum of Haitian society."

Adriano Campolina, ActionAid Director for the Americas said: "The lives of ordinary people in Haiti will only see real and lasting improvements if international donors and the Haitian government coordinate their efforts to genuinely implement the disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration programme.

"The international community has to genuinely start engaging with local people and investing in development if it is to bring about long term stability and tackle the deteriorating situation."