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This event, if it occurred, is getting scant attention. From the Haitian Times:

A U.N.-Backed Police Force Carried Out A Massacre In Haiti. The Killings Have Been Almost Entirely Ignored.

The police officers were working with the United Nations Mission for Justice Support in Haiti. It was launched in October, a reboot of a previous mission that had begun in 2004, when thousands of U.N. troops were sent to Haiti following a coup d’etat, tasked in part with restoring stability and reinforcing national police capacities.

I don't have a good sense of the Haitian Times as source, hence the question: Did a UN Backed (loose affiliation or sponsored group would suffice as "UN Backed") perpetrate a massacre in Haiti?

Seems the Intercept might have been the original source, with the article dated Jan 2018, with the massacre being reported November 13, 2017.

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    The term "UN-backed" is going to be problematic. I am tempted to vote to close as Unclear because of that term. Looking at the [police situation in Haiti](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_enforcement_in_Haiti), it is unclear whether the [Haitian National Police](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haitian_National_Police) are "UN-backed". The UN appears to be stepping in to try to bolster their weaknesses, and help them grow. That sounds like "backing" as in "You are insufficient. We will bolster you." not "backing" as in "We condone your actions." – Oddthinking Nov 20 '18 at 03:03
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    Here's the [press release](https://minujusth.unmissions.org/la-minujusth-condamne-les-violences-commis-%C3%A0-grand-ravine-et-appelle-les-autorit%C3%A9s-nationales-%C3%A0) mentioned in the article. – Oddthinking Nov 20 '18 at 03:05
  • @oddthinking Agree that it's a nebulous term. Here I think it can mean coordinated or even financially backed. The article links talks extensively how much cooperation existed. –  Nov 20 '18 at 03:22
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    I guess I am left confused about what you are skeptical about. That there was violence at all? (If so, will the UN reporting it happened suffice?) That Haitian National Police were responsible? (Would you accept the outcome of a police-run inquiry? I might be cynical, but I am not sure I would.) That the Haitian police are somehow co-ordinating with the UN? – Oddthinking Nov 20 '18 at 13:52
  • @Oddthinking It's very thinly sourced. It would be better if there was some corroboration –  Nov 20 '18 at 15:45
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    @Oddthinking That seems like less of a reason to close for unclarity and more of a call to add clarity in the answer. We have a notable source making a clear claim. – Ben Barden Nov 20 '18 at 16:34
  • @KDog: some corroboration of which part? – Oddthinking Nov 21 '18 at 01:05

1 Answers1

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According to the Haitan Times article quoted in the question, no they did not - unless you take a very loose definition of "UN-backed".

The article you quote recounts the events as described by local civilians and says:

But on campus grounds, Haitian police proceeded to punish the bystanders caught up in the violence. First, they shot and killed Fongene, the guard, witnesses said. Police then accused Louis of setting them up. They dragged him into the central courtyard, where some faculty members and people who live on campus were present. The officers beat him with a chair, causing significant injuries to his head and torso. The Protestant Evangelical Baptist Mission of Haiti, affiliated with the school, included an account of the beating in its statement describing the events, and it was confirmed in an interview with Louis and in the RNDDH report.

My emphasis.

So even according to the Haitan Times, the killings and beatings were carried out by Haitan police. UN forces were certainly nearby, but there is no allegation that they carried out or assisted or condoned any beatings or killings.

The Haitan Police are "UN-backed" only in the sense that the UN assists and trains the local police. The UN does not control their activities, and has no power to restrain, investigate or discipline them. The UN has called for an investigation by local authorities (source: the article quoted) but no investigation has been forthcoming.

DJClayworth
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