U.N. Secretary General Meets Haitians
- 14 years ago
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon met with Haitians gathered outside the destroyed presidential palace on Sunday.
Scores of Haitians who lost their homes in last week’s earthquake gathered there to pledge support from the international community.
[Ban Ki-moon, U.N. Secretary General]:
“The events that have just happened are tragic, but theinternational community and the whole world are with you.”
World leaders have pledged massive assistance to rebuild Haiti after the earthquake killed as many as 200,000 people.
But five days into the crisis aid distribution was still random, chaotic and minimal.
Hundreds of thousands of hungry Haitians are waiting for help, many ofthem in makeshift camps on streets strewn with debris and decomposing bodies.
[Ban Ki-moon, U.N. Secretary General]:
“I'm here to give you hope, and the whole world is supporting you.Do not despair. Do not despair. Have a strong courage.”
But some Haitians were clearly frustrated. One group shouted to Ban as he re-entered a UN vehicle to make sure international relief was given directly to the people and not the Haitian government.
With Haiti's overstretched police and U.N. peacekeepers unable to provide security and people turning more desperate by the day, hundreds of looters smashed shops in downtown Port-au-Prince in a second day of violence.
President Rene Preval said that 3,500 U.S. troops would be deployed to help U.N. and Haitian forces restore security in the capital.
Scores of Haitians who lost their homes in last week’s earthquake gathered there to pledge support from the international community.
[Ban Ki-moon, U.N. Secretary General]:
“The events that have just happened are tragic, but theinternational community and the whole world are with you.”
World leaders have pledged massive assistance to rebuild Haiti after the earthquake killed as many as 200,000 people.
But five days into the crisis aid distribution was still random, chaotic and minimal.
Hundreds of thousands of hungry Haitians are waiting for help, many ofthem in makeshift camps on streets strewn with debris and decomposing bodies.
[Ban Ki-moon, U.N. Secretary General]:
“I'm here to give you hope, and the whole world is supporting you.Do not despair. Do not despair. Have a strong courage.”
But some Haitians were clearly frustrated. One group shouted to Ban as he re-entered a UN vehicle to make sure international relief was given directly to the people and not the Haitian government.
With Haiti's overstretched police and U.N. peacekeepers unable to provide security and people turning more desperate by the day, hundreds of looters smashed shops in downtown Port-au-Prince in a second day of violence.
President Rene Preval said that 3,500 U.S. troops would be deployed to help U.N. and Haitian forces restore security in the capital.