UN mission carries out massive security deployment in Haitian capital

The United Nations mission in Haiti, together with the Haitian National Police, carried out a massive pre-dawn deployment and took over Cité Soleil, a low-income area of the Haitian capital that has been sheltering armed gangs, the mission said.

The operation was designed to re-establish law and order in that district of Port-au-Prince, the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) said.

UN troops were drawn from the Brazilian, Jordanian and Sri Lankan infantry, the Chilean air force and formed police units (FPUs) of Jordanian and Chinese officers.

No casualties had been reported so far and MINUSTAH said it would gradually transfer the responsibility for Cité Soleil's security to the Haitian police.