The Government of the Republic of Haiti has decided to restore the Armed Forces after their abolition in 1995. This was reported by Le Nouvelliste.
This October the United Nations Stabilisation Mission in Haiti (UNSTAMIH) will be withdrawn et replaced by the United Nations Mission for Justice Support in Haiti (MINUJUSTH), that will be composed of some 1000 police officers. This situation forces the Government of Haiti to restore the national army.
“The withdrawal of the Blue Helmets is a bit of a challenge to us, because of the urgency that this poses, but, in any case, the deployment [of the army] was planned.” – said Hervé Denis, Minister of Defense of Haiti, while explaining the situation to the AFP.
According to the Government, the new army will have to ensure the sovereignty of the country via the mobilization of troops on the border to fight against smuggling, which is also a part of the Constitution, where the existence of a military body is planned alongside the police.
Currently, the recruitment campaign of 500 soldiers takes place in the country and all citizens aged between 18 to 25 can apply. However, the Haitian army is not expected to be a significant force, in the future it will consist only of 3000 to 5000 soldiers.
The demobilization of the Armed Forces of Haiti (FADH) was declared in 1995 by then-President Jean-Bertrand Aristide after his return from exile, caused by a coup d’état he was a victim of in 1991, only seven months after his arrival in power.