161 Brazilian Troops Join Haiti UN Mission

161 Brazilian Troops Latest To Join Un Mission In Haiti

The latest group of Brazilian troops arrived in Haiti today to join the United Nations peacekeeping mission gearing up to take over from the multinational force in the Caribbean nation later this month.

The contingent of 161 included soldiers and marines, as well as drivers and equipment operators, and will remain in the area around the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, to provide logistical support to the Brazilian brigade.

They join the 49 staff officers and 192 soldiers already part of the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH). Eight hundred additional soldiers are expected to arrive by air transport over the next four days to complete the deployment of Brazilian troops.

The transfer of operational responsibility to UN peacekeepers from the Multinational Interim Force (MIF) – which arrived to quell the violence that erupted in February that eventually led to the ouster of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide – is scheduled for 25 June.

At full strength, MINUSTAH will have a force of 6,700 troops and 1,622 civilian police. About 13 countries have pledged to contribute military personnel to the Mission.

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