UN Secretary General demands action to help Haiti

By James Blears

The Secretary General of the United Nations is intensifying calls for armed action to help beleaguered Haiti.

Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary General, describes the rapidly deteriorating situation in Haiti as "nightmarish."

He says the armed option is necessary to loosen the grip of street gangs, who are blockading the fuel terminal in the Latin American island nation's capital of Port Au Prince.

Paralysed economy, cholera outbreak

The gasoline crisis is paralysing the economy, causing acute food shortages, and there's now a cholera outbreak, due to a lack of fresh running water or bottled water.

Developments are gathering pace and momentum. 

The United States and Mexico are preparing a UN resolution to empower a non-UN mission, led by a country near Haiti.

This would have a specific time frame, and work to a plan of action, setting out its aims and scope plus responsibility, which would include the authorized use of force, if necessary. 

This has been discussed at an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council.

Demands for PM's resignation

There have been widespread protests against Haiti's Prime Minister, Ariel Henri, demanding his resignation.

He sent out an SOS appeal on October 7th,  pleading for international intervention.

However, this is being opposed by many Haitians who remember previous occupations.

They are insisting the people of Haiti, and not outsiders, must determine the present and future of the country, as such stop gap measures in the past, simply haven't worked, wrought, bought or brought lasting stability.