Haitian human rights activist lambasts UN

A prominent Haitian human rights activist has criticized the United Nations after the body acknowledged its possible involvement in the introduction of cholera to Haiti six years ago.

The UN finally accepted it played a role in the outbreak which has since killed 10,000 people in Haiti.

Camille Chalmers, President of the Haitian Platform to Advocate Alternative Development said the U.N. needs to do more to help Haitian cholera victims.

“To us, yes, this is a step forward. But is an insufficient one that’s coming too late, because, above all, over these six years, more people have died. And we know the United Nations could contribute to the eradication of this illness in our land with a not very expensive investment… The UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon must come to Haiti for a few hours, and make a statement about investing in Haiti over ten years to eradicate cholera. Because nothing was done after the statement was made, including the fact that the emergency plans drawn up by the United Nations are under financed’‘, Chalmers said.

Haiti had not recorded any cases of cholera in a hundred years until the outbreak in 2010 blamed on Nepalese UN troops as the source of the disease.

While acknowledging responsibility, the UN said it is protected by diplomatic immunity from claims for compensation from victims’ families.

Reuters