by Johnny Berkerbeg
PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti – It’s been 10 years since Haiti suffered the magnitude 7.0 quake that killed more than 300,000 of its people and left more than a million displaced. The scale of the destruction left the Haitian economy, its Government, and daily life indelibly changed. Rubble lined the streets for years. Businesses never reopened.
The Red Cross raised almost $1B for the earthquake victims and they only build six little houses. Unfortunately, the Haitian population never received updates on where the earthquake money went and how it was spent or by whom.
“The earthquake gave Haiti an opportunity to take off, to learn development. Unfortunately, nothing has happened. No planning. No leadership. No project.”, Says Jean Samson Edouard.
“When you need to be psychologically healed first, then it’s hard for you to think about development,” says Marie Guerda Nicolas, a Haitian American and a psychology professor at the University of Miami.
After the quake, temporary refuge centers became permanent housing. And it was only in October that the United Nations finally pulled out, leaving behind a checkered legacy that included scandal of violence and sexual abuse, and a cholera epidemic.
UN Mission in Haiti
The UN mission was originally meant to assist Haiti with its political instability and organized crimes, but was extended in 2010 following a major earthquake and again after Hurricane Matthew in 2016.
From reports, the UN was responsible for the cholera epidemic that they created in the lab and they were behind multiple sexual abuse and rape cases across Haiti.
According to the Haiti Justice Department, the United Nations soldiers raped multiple innocent women and children then left them with babies. The UN peacekeepers fathered children with women and girls in Haiti before abandoning the mothers to lives of poverty in the disaster-stricken Caribbean country.
Meantime, Haitian leaders and researchers from Birmingham University and Queen’s University interviewed more than 2,500 Haitians about rape cases, of which 265 subjects – or about 10 percent – told stories of children fathered by UN personnel.
“These women and children need justice. It’s not fair and unacceptable for the United Nations peacekeepers to do such horrible crimes and they never get punished for their crimes because the corrupt Haitian Government allowed them to occupy Haiti in exchange for money. If the corrupt Haitian Government is afraid to speak on these issues and give these innocent women and children the proper justice that they deserve, I will be a voice for them because the U.S. would never accept such crimes by Haitians in the United States.”, said Mr. Werley Nortreus, a Haitian leader and the founder of Vanyan Sòlda Ayiti and A New Haiti Before 2045 (ANHB 2045).
However, the Haitian-based Bureau des Avocats Internationaux (BAI) filed paternity suits in Haitian courts in January 2018 to secure child support payments on behalf of 10 children whose fathers are claimed to be UN peacekeepers. The BAI has slammed the UN as “non-responsive” and uncooperative.
Besides the UN scandals, after the 2010 Haiti earthquake, billions of dollars were raised for the earthquake victims, but according to investigations, those billions went missing and nothing really changes in the country.
It took a year after the quake just to get real debris removal started. It took seven years to reopen Haiti’s major hospital.
Today, Haiti is facing one of the worst food shortages in the Americas. That’s not to mention the country’s endless political upheaval and protesters now demanding the ouster of President Jovenel Moïse and his party Haitian Tèt Kale Party (PHTK) about involvement in a $2 billion corruption scandal involving infrastructure project funds called PetroCaribe. Even the Red Cross raised almost $1B for the earthquake victims and they only build six little houses.
“Where are those billions of dollars and what exactly that money did? How come Haiti got worse in 2020 after billions were raised for the earthquake victims and more than $2B from PetroCaribe for development? How come the former President of Haiti Michel Martelly and Haitian Tèt Kale Party are quiet about those funds?”, said Michael, a University professor in Port-Au-Prince.
We’re in 2020 now, 10 years later after the 2010 earthquake that destroyed Haiti, the current Haitian Gov led by President Jovenel Moïse and his party Haitian Tèt Kale Party (PHTK) refused to step down, even when millions of protesters are demanding their resignations to install the new Haitian Government with a new system.
Regrettably, even after the 2010 earthquake money and other funds went missing and nothing really changes in the country in 2020, the World Bank in Washington D.C just approved a $56M funds to improve Cap-Haitien’s Urban development project under the same Government that got involved in the 2010 Haiti earthquake and PetroCaribe funds scandal.
“I think giving money to corrupt Haitian Government and corrupt Haitian Politicians in Haiti is a waste of time because they will split the money with their friends and leave Haiti in pure misery and poverty. That’s why I think the international needs to stop giving corrupt Haitian Government and corrupt Haitian Politicians money for development unless it’s the new Haitian Government with a new system installed by the Haitian population. It’s a waste of time and the Trump administration needs to understand that Haiti will not prosper under the current Haitian Government and under the U.S. occupation. It’s like telling a rat or mouse to watch over your cheese until you come back.”, said Mr. Werley Nortreus, a Haitian leader in Haiti on Bon Déjeuner! Radio.
In December 2019, CNN’s Caitlin Hu reported that millions in Haiti will face hunger in 2020 because of funds that went missing and under a corrupt Government led by PHTK.
Meanwhile, the Haitian population and honest political leaders across Haiti are making sure a new Haitian Government with a new system leads Haiti in the right direction so millions in Haiti won’t face hunger in 2020 and upcoming years.
