After
launching the electoral campaign of his political party,
Parti Haïtien Tèt Kale (PHTK), in Cap-Haïtien last week,
Martelly has renewed his 2011 campaign pledge to restore
the Armed Forces of Haiti (FAd’H),
reports
Le Nouvelliste.
In a rally held in the Palmes region in the Southeast
department over the weekend of Jul. 18, Martelly stated
that his previous pledge was not false. He added that
since his mandate began, “I have been around the world
to meet with representatives of major countries on the
issue.”
In February 2014, Martelly formally requested
technical advice on
the creation of a military from the Washington
D.C.-based Inter-American Defense Board (IADB), a body
of the Organization of American States.
Former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide disbanded
the military in 1995 as the force was involved in
numerous human rights violations and coup d’états.
Nevertheless, on June 25, 2015, the IADB met with
Haitian authorities in Port-au-Prince to officially
present a “white paper” outlining the formation of a new
defense force. The process has been led by Haitian
Minister of Defense Renauld Lener, himself a former
major in the FAd’H.
The Director General of the IADB, Vice Admiral
Bento Costa Lima Leite de Albuquerque Junior, in
announcing the finalization of the “white paper”
told the audience:
“The principle innovation of the Haitian White
Paper, with respect to others, is that it covers the
global interests of security, without limiting
exclusively to questions of defense. It defines the
strategic guidelines of security and national defense
that give answers to ‘all the risks and threats that
could make the life of the nation vulnerable’ and the
interweaving with the economic development and social
sustainability of the country. The field of national
security includes defense policies, but doesn’t limit
itself to it. Other policies, like the exterior policies
and the economic policies, also contribute directly to
national security.
“Therefore, we understand that the Haitian White
Paper of also [sic] defines a concrete space of
international cooperation in the future, to the extent
that the document ordered, systematized and establishes
axes and sets areas of priorities for the country.”
When Martelly first came to office pledging to
restore the Haitian military, the plan was met with
fierce resistance, both within and outside of Haiti,
with key donor governments including the U.S. opposed to
the idea. Reed Brody of Human Rights Watch
told the Associated Press
in 2011: “The Haitian army has basically been an army
that's been used against the Haitian people … It was
there as an instrument of repression, so it's hard to
see what Haiti gains by bringing back the army.”
A document leaked to the AP in 2011
pointed to internal security
as a key aspect of the newly planned force, stating,
“The fragility of the Haitian state now makes it
vulnerable to the risks of internal unrest that could
plunge the country into anarchy.” The “white paper”
presented last month has not been made public.
But whereas Martelly’s initial pledge to restore
the military was met with resistance from the
international community, this latest move appears to
have the backing of key regional and international
organizations. The IADB Director General thanked both
member countries of the Organization of American States
and the United Nations for their assistance in the
development of the “white paper.” This latest push
coincides with the planned drawdown of UN troops in
Haiti, and indeed Martelly hinted that the new force
would be able to replace the UN troops, in his speech
this weekend.
Martelly appears committed to pushing this newly
constituted force through before his term expires in
early 2016. In his speech, he said, “Recruitment for the
remobilization of the Armed Forces of Haiti (FAd'H) will
start beginning in October,” adding that recruitment
will focus on the youth of the country. This echoes his
comments from the campaign trail in 2011 when he
told the
Toronto Star
that he envisioned an army that would “create
employment” and “integrate youth.”
With elections four-years delayed, Martelly currently is
able to rule by decree, preventing legislative oversight
of the process guiding the reconstitution of the army.
Under pressure from the international community,
Martelly has limited his decree power to scheduling
elections. Top State Department officials in Washington,
however, have indicated that Martelly has a strong
desire not to be a “lame duck” during his last months in
office. Will
reconstituting the FAd’H be Martelly’s final act as
president? |