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UN mission in Haiti launches operation against armed groups, human rights expert visits

UN mission in Haiti launches operation against armed groups, human rights expert visits

Jordanian peacekeepers patrol Cité Soleil
The United Nations peacekeeping force in Haiti has launched a joint operation with the county's National Police to re-establish state authority in the Cité Soleil district in the capital Port-au-Prince.

Around 1,000 UN troops and UN and Haitian police surrounded the neighbourhood, set up checkpoints and started patrolling during the operation, started yesterday, which is the second phase of the effort by the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) since December to neutralize armed groups in the district and increase security there.

Meanwhile, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said its independent expert on Haitian human rights, Louis Joinet, started a weeklong visit to the Caribbean country today to verify that the Government was implementing its obligations and find out where it might need assistance.

During the visit, his seventh to Haiti, Mr. Joinet will meet with Haitian authorities, including senior officials of the Transitional Government and senior magistrates in the judiciary.

He was also scheduled to talk to representatives of the United Nations system in Haiti, including MINUSTAH, as well as the Organization of American States (OAS) and members of civil society.