| Certain Ay-Pee "US boodle not coming fast enough" comments removed. |
The political violence comes on the heels of Thursday's announcement by the UN that its peacekeeping force will remain in Haiti at least another year. The unanimously approved Security Council resolution extended by one year the presence of nearly 9,000 soldiers and around 4,300 police officers - and called for "credible and legitimate" presidential and legislative elections, which are scheduled for November 28. Rene Preval, who has served as Haiti's president for 10 of the past 15 years, cannot by law run for re-election, and the country remains in a perilous position nine months after a devastating earthquake. The post-election transition to a new government will not happen until next year, and the UN peacekeeping force's mandate was extended to October 15, 2011.
The UN resolution passed on Thursday expressed concern with "the rise in the number of weapons in circulation" and condemned "grave violations against children affected by armed violence, as well as widespread rape and other sexual abuse of women and girls".