The Defence Force of Haiti (french: Force de Défense d'Haïti) was the envisaged name of the planned, reconstituted armed forces of the
Republic of Haiti
Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and so ...
. Haiti had not had a regular
armed forces
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...
since 1995; a process to reestablish them was initiated in 2011 and culminated in their remobilization (under the old name: Forces Armées d'Haiti - FAd'H) in 2017.
History
Due to decades of
coups and counter-coups, the regular Haitian Army, Navy, and Air Force were abolished in 1995. The formal disbandment of the military, however, did not end its involvement in national life. In 2004 a paramilitary force of former Haitian soldiers, backed by the United States and France, deposed the government of
Jean Bertrand Aristide
Jean-Bertrand Aristide (born 15 July 1953) is a Haitian former Salesian priest and politician who became Haiti's first democratically elected president. A proponent of liberation theology, Aristide was appointed to a parish in Port-au-Prince in ...
. Several years later, a group of former members of the Haitian military began the private, voluntary training of young men in
field-craft and military tactics as a demonstration of the potential of a new armed force. By 2012 these recruits numbered between 3,000 and 15,000.
That same year, Haitian veterans forcibly occupied several decommissioned army posts to press the government to reestablish the military, and later interrupted a meeting of the
Chamber of Deputies
The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures.
Description
Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourbon R ...
to demand the approval of
Laurent Lamothe
Laurent Salvador Lamothe (born 14 August 1972) is a Haitian businessman, technology entrepreneur, and political figure who has served in the government of Haiti as Foreign Minister since October 2011, then appointed as Prime Minister on 4 May 20 ...
's nomination as prime minister, an action which UN officials denounced as an "unacceptable act of intimidation."
![Casco azul con una niña](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d2/Casco_azul_con_una_ni%C3%B1a.jpg)
In 2011, following his election as
president of Haiti
The president of Haiti ( ht, Prezidan peyi Ayiti, french: Président d'Haïti), officially called the president of the Republic of Haiti (french: link=no, Président de la République d'Haïti, ht, link=no, Prezidan Repiblik Ayiti), is the head ...
,
Michel Martelly
Michel Joseph Martelly (; born 12 February 1961) is a Haitian musician and politician who was the President of Haiti from May 2011 until February 2016. He was sanctioned by the Canadian Government for his involvement in human rights violations ...
promised to reestablish the military. The move was generally seen as a popular response to widespread public dissatisfaction with the ongoing
United Nations Stabilisation Mission in Haiti
)
, leader_title = Head
, leader_name = Sandra Honoré (Special Representative of the Secretary-General)
, status = Replaced by MINUJUSTH
, formation = 1 June 2004
, websiteUN Peacekeeping: MINUSTAH
; the unsanitary and poor practices of
Nepal
Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...
ese UN soldiers were cause to a cholera epidemic while
Uruguayan
Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
and
Pakistani UN troops were allegedly complicit in the rape of Haitian boys. Carl Alexandre, deputy United Nations envoy overseeing police and judicial reform in Haiti, meanwhile blamed "proliferating armed forces" by the Haitian government as a reason for increased bandit attacks in the countryside, and called on the
Haitian National Police
The Haitian National Police (PNH; french: Police Nationale d'Haïti, , National Police of Haiti) is the law enforcement and ''de facto'' police force of Haiti. It was created in 1995 to bring public security under civilian control as mandated i ...
to be affirmed as the country's only security apparatus.
Critics of the planned force note that Haiti does not have any enemies, however, proponents point to the need to fill a "security vacuum" they say will emerge following the departure of the UN Stabilisation Mission in Haiti, and that a military is needed to fulfill missions such as securing the nation's porous border with the
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...
, responding to
natural disasters
A natural disaster is "the negative impact following an actual occurrence of natural hazard in the event that it significantly harms a community". A natural disaster can cause loss of life or damage property, and typically leaves some econo ...
, and restoring "national pride".
Training and recruitment
An initial plan envisaged a military force of 3,500 personnel operational by 2014. Aided by
Ecuador
Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...
, Haiti had managed to raise and train a force of 41 personnel by September 2013, though this nucleus unit of
sapper
A sapper, also called a pioneer (military), pioneer or combat engineer, is a combatant or soldier who performs a variety of military engineering duties, such as breaching fortifications, demolitions, bridge-building, laying or clearing minefie ...
s, officially termed the "Corps of Engineers," was unarmed and mission focused on infrastructure construction. The following January an additional contingent of 30 recruits left the country for training in Ecuador and, in November of that year, a further 40 recruits left for Ecuador to partake in the eight-month course.
In July 2015, Martelly formally announced the new force would be called the Force de Défense d’Haïti (Defence Force of Haiti) and would be tasked with "control of our borders, our sea and air space and
reparing forthe departure of UN forces." According to Martelly, a stepped-up recruitment campaign was set to begin in October 2015.
In October 2017, under the administration of Jovenel and Prime Minister Lafontant, President Moise who is allied with former President Martelly remobilized the Armed Forces. The Haitian National Police remained under a UN mandated mission called
MINIJUSTH until its expiration in 2019.
See also
*
Gendarmerie of Haiti
The Gendarmerie of Haiti (french: Gendarmerie d'Haïti ), also known as the ''Haitian Constabulary'', was a collaborationist gendarmerie raised by the United States during its occupation of Haiti in the early 20th century. Established in late 1915 ...
*
Military history of Haiti
*
Armed Forces of Haiti
The Armed Forces of Haiti (french: Forces Armées d'Haïti—FAd'H), consisted of the Haitian Army, Haitian Navy (at times), the Haitian Air Force, Haitian Coast Guard, (ANI) and some police forces (Port-au-Prince Police). The Army was always ...
References
External links
Official website for the Ministry of Defence{{in lang, fr
euronews video showing inspection of first contingent of FDH troops on return from Ecuador
Military of Haiti
Military history of Haiti