Brazil - Haiti Observer Blog

This is a sad news to announce. A great Brazilian singer known by many Haitians Nelson Ned d'Ávila Pinto, mostly known as Nelson Ned, passed away today, Sunday, January 05, in Sao Paulo. He died of clinical complications of pneumonia and bladder problems.

Nelson Ned is known by Haitians and others as The Little Giant". The man was just was just 3 feet, 6 inches tall; however he was a giant in music. Among some great international superstars such as alberto Bertran and Roberto Ledesma that Orchestre Septentrional accompanied, the Haitian group also accompanied Nelson Ned during his visit in Haiti some time ago.

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In a declaration, Defense Minister for Haiti stated that Haiti will soon have her own armed forces. He gave indications that the armed forces will be formed before the end of Presidential term of Michel Martelly. The Minister stated that it was one of the promises made by the President during the election campaigns and the President intends to keep the promise.

Defense Minister, Jean Rodolphe Joazile stated that Haiti currently has the support from other countries which include Ecuador, Uruguay, Brazil and France. He mentioned that the first recruits for the Haitian armed forces will originate in the countries supporting the decision. The minister also explained that the individuals who are hopeful to be recruited to the Haitian armed forces are from different backgrounds and that they will be arriving in Haiti by the end of this year.

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A Brazilian Air Force plane crashes at Toussaint Louverture International airport in Port-au-Prince on Sunday, May 26, 2013. The airplane involved in the accident is marked Força Aérea Brasileira and is part of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH)

Boeing B707 was carrying the fifth rotation of the 17th Brazilian contingent.

According to Haitian authorities, the Brazilian military plane Força Aérea Brasileira veered onto the grass next to the runway after one engine caught fire as the aircraft was taking off. As the engine was caught on fire, the landing gear became disabled. Fire crews were able to put out the fire.

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Brazil Foods (BRF), food-industry behemoth, has seeded the start-up of a poultry-processing plant in Haiti. They have finished conducting a study to find out if it's feasible to genetically engineer poultry to produce a meatier bird.

Specialist in supply-side economics, Mohammed Yunus, told delegates at the Social Business and Corporate Investment Conference BRF and his non-profit, Grameen, have forged a partnership to produce genetically-engineered poultry.

Grameen Bank, the non-profit's financing arm, will offer micro-financing to small businesses interested in genetically-modified organisms (GMOs). In the project's first phase, BRF will build a centralized processing center for genetically-engineered poultry.

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Over 900 residency and work visas were issued to Haitians who entered Acre, Brazil illegally. The visas were issued by the Federal Task Force that was sent to Acre to deal with rising illegal immigration. State of Emergency was declared by Acre in the second week of April when more than 1,700 people illegally entered Acre within a fortnight. Though most of these illegal immigrants were Haitian, there were Africans and Asians too who entered the state through the route that has dense vegetation as a result of which, the border forces of Brazil cannot patrol the area properly.

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Former student of the Military Academy of Agulhas Negras (AMAN), the School of Command and General Staff Army and the School of Cavalry Squadron Officer where he earned first place in his classes, Lieutenant General Edson Leal Pujol has made a career out of receiving important titles. As of March 27, 2013, he has added yet another to his already impressive list.

He has succeeded his countryman, Major General Fernando Rodriquez Goulart as the second successive Brazilian Force Commander of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH). The announcement was made by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, who went on to thank former Force Commander Goulart and express the UN's gratitude for his service in the post. In his tenure, Goulart's leadership, professionalism, and his dedication to the UN's mission of stabilizing Haiti proved to be great and necessary contributions. His legacy has left a tall order for the new Force Commander to fill.

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Amazon State of Acre declared a 'state of social emergency' on the wake of uncontrolled Haitian immigration. It was declared on April 9, 2013 by Tiao Viana, governor of Acre. The declaration of social emergency by the governor came with the hope that the Federal Government will help to contain the massive human trafficking that has plagued Acre of late. However, the Acre government did declare through its website that those who have already entered Brazil will be given the necessary aid.

While signing the decree, the governor said that the declaration formally recognizes the seriousness of the problem and that Acre alone is not capable of dealing with the situation and hence, it is looking for external help to contain the situation.

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With the brutal military regime over for more than a decade and Haiti successfully transitioned into a democratic nation, President Michel Martelly is planning to create a new Haitian army to replace the U.N. troops. The president, along with the country's Defense Minister Rodolphe Joazile, has recently been able to convince neighboring countries' Brazil and Ecuador in helping on the cause. The two nations both agreed to assist Haiti by providing military training, equipment, and engineering.

Haiti's military was notorious for human rights violations and bloodshed in the 1900s. It had a strong involvement and influence in the country's politics, having the capability to overthrow presidents and government officials. One of the bloodiest movements led by the military was the 1991 coup d'état in order to remove then President Jean-Bertrand Aristide from office. It took three years of bloodshed between the military and Aristide's supporters before the United States intervened and put the Aristide back as Haiti's head of state. With the help of the U.S. and the United Nations, the government was finally able to disband the military in 1995. The country has since been protected by the U.N.'s peacekeeping force.

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The Government of Haiti has asked Brazil's military to help put together armed forces, capable of assuming peacekeeping duties the UN currently provides. Haiti Minister of Defense, Jean Rodolphe Joazile, along with Brazil's Minister of Defense, Celso Amorim, issued a joint statement on July 26, 2012 regarding the request. Amorim said Brazil would send military representatives to Haiti on a fact-finding visit to decide what kinds of resources Haiti would need to build their army.

Amorim pointed out assistance from Brazil is based on the stipulation Haiti train and pay their soldiers as a professional military operation. In other words, Brazil does not want a volunteer militia that can't perform the job now being handled by UN peacekeeping forces.

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On Thursday, July 26, 2012, the Brazilian Minister for Defense announced his government's decision of helping Haiti to form a permanent defense force. Speaking on that day, Celso Amorim said that his government is determined to train a Haitian defense force that would take over after the UN withdrew its peace keeping mission in the country. He said that Brazil would be sending a military mission which will be determined to help Haiti. Celso Amorim was accompanied by his Haitian counterpart Jean Rodolphe Joazile while he was making this statement. The minister said that the government of Haiti had asked Brazil for help and pledged to cooperate in all manners.

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