Anger over the deadly cholera outbreak turned violent less than two weeks before the presidential elections, bringing to the surface the resentment and frustration that so many Haitians are feeling [Alessandro Rampietti]
Published On 23 Nov 201023 Nov 2010
In Cap Haitien, the second-largest city in Haiti, the population rallied in the streets. Some carried stones and bottles, others machetes [Alessandro Rampietti]
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People burned tyres to create blockades. With roads and bridges blocked, medical centres and NGOs were unable to treat cholera patients for a week [Alessandro Rampietti]
The bodies of the dead started to pile up in the streets and residents were forced to dig mass graves for their loved ones [Alessandro Rampietti]
The caskets of cholera victims were also used to build barricades on the streets - an eerie reminder of the disease [Alessandro Rampietti]
The crowd vented their fury against the UN and their military mission Minustah [Alessandro Rampietti]
Many Haitians blame Nepalese peacekeeping troops for causing the disease, accusing them of dumping cholera-infected fecal matter into the Artibonite River. The American Center for Disease Control reported that the cholera bacteria now raging through Haiti matches strains usually found in South Asia, but Minustah has repeatedly denied that there is any link between its peacekeepers and the cholera outbreak [Alessandro Rampietti]
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Witnesses said UN troops and Haitian police fired tear gas to break up a crowd of more than 1,000 outside the base of the Nepalese UN troops [Alessandro Rampietti]
At least one person died in the clashes when UN troops opened fire on the crowd. Minustah says it was in self-defence. Doctors at the main hospital in Cap Haitien said they treated five people with gunshot wounds [Alessandro Rampietti]
As the unrest spread across the country, many felt it really had to do with the election that is due to take place on November 28 [Alessandro Rampietti]
Political manipulation, chaos and violence are often part of political campaigns in Haiti [Alessandro Rampietti]
Some candidates and groups have an interest in fomenting unrest to disrupt the voting [Alessandro Rampietti]
But many hope that political stability can be the first step in addressing the many challenges facing the country [Alessandro Rampietti]
