Sandra Honoré, the head of the UN Mission for Stabilization in Haiti (Minustah), presided last week the ceremony marking the end of operations of the Chilean battalion based in Cap Haitien.

The battalion of 340 Chilean, 47 Honduran, 44 Salvadoran and 3 Mexican soldiers officially ceased operations on 15 April and will proceed during the next few weeks to the move of its military bases and removal of its troops and equipment to the countries of origin.

Present in Haiti since the summer of 2004, the battalion was deployed during operations in Cité Soleil as well as other areas of Port-au-Prince during the first years of the mission. During its 13 years of service within the Minustah, the battalion also conducted operations in the north of Haiti, providing security and logistical support during 10 elections between 2006 and 2017. It also provided humanitarian support to respond to the various natural disasters experienced by Haiti, including the devastating 2010 earthquake and Matthew hurricane in October 2016.

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations in Haiti, Sandra Honoré, saluted the dedication, professionalism and above all the discipline displayed by this battalion throughout its deployment in Haiti. She called on the audience to pay tribute to all the peacekeepers who lost their lives in Haiti in the exercise of their duties, in particular to the nurse Sergeant Rodrigo Andrés Sanhueza Soto (35 years) of the Chilean naval corps, shot dead in April 2015 Haiti during an administrative task https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-13621-haiti-social-last-tribute-to-the-chilean-peacekeeper-killed-in-ouanaminthe.html

This ceremony was also an opportunity for the ambassadors of the countries composing this battalion to thank the government of Haiti for having accepted the services of their soldiers who served the local population under the aegis of the United Nations.

HL/ HaitiLibre