Troops Arrive in Haiti with Aid
On Tuesday, a whole week after the devastating earthquake hit Haiti, US troops started to fan out across the country. Officials of the UN said that aid distribution points were in the process of setting up in the capital, Port-au-Prince, while UN security forces would join the troops to hand out supplies.
Helicopters brought many troops to the grounds of the presidential palace, and they were then moved to secure a hospital nearby. The US troops brought some 15,000 litres of water and 14,000 ready-to-eat meals on Monday.
Furthermore, the UN Security Council has decided by vote to boost their peacekeeping efforts to help control looting. The capital’s street have been brewing with anger while people wait for aid, so they have upped their troop numbers by 2,000 over then next 6 months and police numbers by 1,500.
Reports of violence and looting being widespread in Haiti have been in the news recently. However, the UN has played down any concerns over security, citing that the situation is calm overall, despite violent incidents. US Army Maj Gen Daniel Allyn also said that the situation of security is relatively calm, adding that there is order at aid distribution points. Although he noted pockets of instability, he said that UN forces and national police have addressed the issues with agility.
It’s good to see that there are finally more aid workers and troops getting to Haiti. However, they really need much more than this to overcome the devastation. There are an expected 10,000 more troops to arrive in the next few weeks, which means that it will take more than a while to get everyone in Haiti the help they need.
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