November
17, 2006: While the situation remains violent in the capital, the rest of
the country has been betting calmer over the past few months. The most powerful
political and criminal gangs are in the capital, where most of the peacekeepers
are.
November
10, 2006: In the capital, two Jordanian peacekeepers were shot dead during a
patrol of one of the slum neighborhoods. Criminal gangs have their base of
support in these slum areas, and encourage people to harass the UN
patrols.
November
7, 2006: An annual poll of corruption has placed Haiti in first place this
year. This means that the government, and commercial sector, of Haiti, is
considered the most corrupt on the planet. Haiti has long placed in the top
ten, and has finally made it to the top.
October
21, 2006: In the last few days, UN peacekeepers clashed with residents of a
poor neighborhood in the capital, leaving three civilians dead, and more
wounded. The slum residents support various criminal gangs, and oppose UN
patrols with gunfire, fire bombs, rocks or just demonstrations.
October
20, 2006: A kidnapped missionary was released, after the payment of $5,000
ransom. The victim has been doing missionary work in Haiti for 24 years, and
was grabbed five days ago. His kidnappers were a gang of criminals, including
several wanted for killing policemen. It costs a lot of money ($10,000 and up)
to get smuggled out of the country, and the kidnappers were trying to raise the
cash through kidnapping. Missionaries are good targets, as they usually have
some money, and no bodyguards.
