Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Cholera epidemic of South Asian origin. Riots against occupation forces for second day in Haiti

It seems that the cholera epidemic, rumored for some time already to have started at a UN occupation forces (MINUSTAH) base, is the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back... the patience of the Haitian people.

I reported yesterday how the MINUSTAH occupation forces are very much hated for they repressive and rapist (yes, rape: not the first time blue berets are involved in abuse of women and even children) activities, as well as being the only thing that separates the Haitian people from democracy and popular power. Haitians do not want foreign troops in their country, what is very much understandable, specially as they are being used to legitimate and consolidate the 2004 US-led coup.

Now the strain of the cholera bacterium has been confirmed to have arrived from South Asia, probably brought the Nepalese contingent, as this illness is endemic in Nepal. It seems most likely now that sewage water from latrines at the UN base located upstream the Artibonite river have been the cause of the epidemic that has already taken hundreds of lives.

The epidemic has now extended through the country and even to neighboring Dominican Republic. Thousands of people are affected.  



This has triggered the most intense riots against the occupation so far, specially intense in the northern city of Cap Haïtien, where the message being shout to the invaders is very clear: get out now!


Source: Al Jazeera (video).

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