- Title: Haiti's newest army recruits ready to report to duty
- Date: 19th July 2017
- Summary: GRESSIER, HAITI (JULY 18, 2017) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF CANDIDATES FOR NEW ARMY YOUNG MAN ENTERING MILITARY BASE HAITIAN SOLDIER ON BASE CANDIDATES IN LINE AT BASE GENERAL VIEW OF CANDIDATES (SOUNDBITE) (Creole) CANDIDATE FOR NEW ARMY, AGUSTIN, SAYING: "My motivation is to work as a soldier. I could die as a soldier, I am a brave warrior. I am here because I am not afraid of death. I want to defend my land." GENERAL VIEW OF BUILDING WHERE CANDIDATES ARE ARRIVING TO CANDIDATES IN LINE AT BUILDING YOUTH APPLYING FOR NEW ARMY YOUTH WAITING FOR HIS TURN AMONGST POSSIBLE RECRUITS BOOTS OF HAITIAN SOLDIER SOLDIER HELPING CANDIDATES YOUTH ENTERING BUILDING FOR RECRUITMENT GENERAL VIEW OF SOLDIERS YOUTH WALKING OUTSIDE MILITARY BASE (SOUNDBITE) (Creole) CANDIDATE FOR NEW ARMY, CHARLES FRANDY, SAYING: "I am a young man who wants to be useful to my country. I want to offer my help to security in my country. I have come from Petion-ville to Gressier to enrol in the army. I've been here since 6 a.m. There is no structure." CANDIDATES REGISTERING FOR NEW ARMY HIDING THEIR FACES GENERAL VIEW OF CANDIDATES (SOUNDBITE) (Creole) CANDIDATE FOR NEW ARMY, STYVENSION CHELIAS, SAYING: "I want to join the army to serve my country. This will also help to help my family's living standards. It's because I am young, I have finished my studies, there is no help, there is nothing. This is door for many people." PORT AU PRINCE, HAITI (JULY 17, 2017) (REUTERS) VEHICLE LEAVING DEFENCE MINISTRY OFFICIAL PAPER FROM DEFENCE MINISTRY VARIOUS OF DEFENCE MINISTER, HERVE DENIS, IN OFFICE (SOUNDBITE) (French) HAITIAN DEFENCE MINISTER, HERVE DENIS, SAYING: "Positioning this new army on the border is one of our concerns. We have set some objectives. First, to defend the integrity of the country, our land, maritime and aerial border. That is one of our priorities. It will also be for a protective force against natural disasters. That is why there is a body of engineers and operators of (earth-moving) machines. We will also have a medical body in the military to assist people, a body of agronomists to support farmers, a body for environmental protection in accordance with the Environment Ministry, a body that helps with forestation." GENERAL VIEW OF OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL DEFENCE NETWORK FOR HUMAN RIGHTS, PIERRE ESPERANCE VARIOUS OF ESPERANCE IN HIS OFFICE (SOUNDBITE) (Creole) EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL DEFENCE NETWORK FOR HUMAN RIGHTS, PIERRE ESPERANCE, SAYING: "It is government authorities who have started this registration process. For us it is military, we condemn this initiative. It is a situation that concerns us. Considering that MINUSTAH (UN body for Haiti) is leaving the country in October, authorities should focus on evaluating the readiness of the national police, strengthening that institution before anything else." GENERAL VIEW OF DENIS DENIS IN HIS OFFICE DENIS WRITING DENIS' FACE MORE OF DENIS (SOUNDBITE) (French) HAITIAN DEFENCE MINISTER, HERVE DENIS, SAYING: "Other concerns that we have concerns some regional and international obligations. The fight against terrorism is one of our concerns, as well as cybercrime, because it is used by criminals to achieve their objectives. We have a great interest in the country like in airports, banks, services and historic sites that we should protect against any attack." GRESSIER, HAITI (JULY 18, 2017) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF CANDIDATES FOR NEW ARMY
- Embargoed: 2nd August 2017 18:40
- Keywords: Haiti security new army recruits Defence Minister Herve Denis MINUSTAH United Nations
- Location: GRESSIER, PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI
- City: GRESSIER, PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI
- Country: Haiti
- Topics: Defence,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA0016QDT1ZB
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Hundreds of Haitians lined up in the blazing sun for a chance to join the country's newly formed military this week, looking past concerns about a lack of funding for the force and a history of bloody coups.
Young men motivated by scarce jobs in the Americas' poorest economy waited since early Monday (July 17) morning at a base on the outskirts of the capital, Port-au-Prince, to be interviewed by recruiters.
Haiti has been without military forces since 1995, when former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide disbanded the army after he returned to power following a coup and the national police became responsible for security.
The new army's job will be to patrol the seas and the border with the Dominican Republic, Haiti's neighbour on the island of Hispanola, and to help rebuild after natural disasters in a country that has suffered death and destruction from a catastrophic earthquake and a fierce hurricane in recent years. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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