Stability in Haiti prompts UN peacekeeper pullout

The United Nations is ending its peacekeeping mission in Haiti after 20 years maintaining order in the Caribbean island nation. The UN Security Council voted unanimously today to withdraw most of its forces by October. The 2,370 military personnel will be replaced by a 1,275-strong police force that will patrol and help train local officers for another six months. The new mission also is tasked with strengthening the government’s judicial and legal institutions. Haiti’s recent, successful elections helped prompt the UN’s withdrawal, but the country still faces significant challenges, including damage wrought by the peacekeepers themselves. The Cholera epidemic brought to the island by UN forces has killed 9,500 people since 2010. And a new report released this week chronicles instances of sex trafficking and abuse by UN forces.