Backpacks Full of Hope: The UN Mission in Haiti

8. Chilean Blue Helmets in Haiti

C H A P T E R E I G H T Chilean Blue Helmets in Haiti chilean policy on participation in peace operations is determined by Supreme Decree no.94 (November 6,1996),published in the Official Gazette no. 36,358 on May 8, 1999, which modified and adapted previous regulations. A brief summary reveals Chile’s clear commitment to taking part in peace operations within the UN framework. The president’s instructions attached to the decree include a number of suggestions regarding how these activities should be conducted. For some time, Chile has had personnel from the army and other institutions acting as observers or participants in international conflicts. According to a fascinating study recently published by Colonel Antonio Varas,1 the army’s contribution dates back to the time of the Chaco War and continues today, with the numerous peace operations in which the country is involved. This participation is also described in a leaflet published by the EMDN.2 Five Chilean army generals have been involved in UN and other missions. In particular, General Luis Tassara spent several years on a mission in India and Pakistan. Later, General Sergio Espinoza served in a similar post for several months. The above-mentioned Supreme Decree authorizes Chilean troops to expand their traditional functions as UN observers. They have done so on missions such as the one in Haiti, which could require the use of force within 79 80 B A C K PA C K S F U L L O F H O P E the framework of Chapter VII of the UN Charter, which refers to peacekeeping missions “which permit the use of force in legitimate defense and include the possibility of the use of force for the protection of civilian, humanitarian agencies and vulnerable ethnic groups.” Our objectives and working methods in Haiti have been delineated by authorities at various levels. They were perhaps expressed best by General Cheyre: “We will not fight Haiti, we will not take sides, we will not serve the interests of a nation, a power or a sector. Instead we will contribute to peace, that peace which the media have shown to have been disturbed and that peace which is the aim of our force.”3 Among the various documents regulating a country’s participation with these missions are the UN’s mandate for Haiti, the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), and the LOAs. The UN has determined that personnel on these missions will adhere strictly to the UN Rules of Engagement (ROEs). Chile’s Defence Ministry organized the Haiti mission through the Joint Centre for Peace Operation Training (CECOPAC). That centre’s work has made our country a model among its peers. Chile’s military are well equipped to train personnel for these missions and have achieved internationally recognized standards. Once our soldiers have been assigned to a peace mission, on the basis of specific personnel requirements they are incorporated into units that are trained by Cecopac and then on the ground in the Peldehue area. Clearly, our Armed Forces place great importance on targeted training. Indeed, the results show that our soldiers have lived up to expectations in terms of both discipline and efficiency. Since 2000 the Chilean Army has deployed about 4,000 peacekeepers to missions in Haiti, Cyprus, Bosnia, and the Congo, among other places. Since 2004 the Chilean Navy has deployed a company of 150 marines to Cap Haïtien , as well as a number of officers to MINUSTAH Headquarters. The Chilean Air Force has about 70 men in Haiti in the Helicopter Unit, besides a number of officers in air support operations. Chile’s carabineros have sent around 20 riflemen to Haiti, while the Investigative Police have sent four officers , most of whom support UNPol in MINUSTAH. In Haiti alone we have posted as many as 600 men at a time to our military contingent. While I was there, I received two Chilean contingents (who are replaced every six months). Overall, then, about 3,500 Chilean military men have served in Haiti over the past three years. The military are deeply honoured by the armed forces’ contribution to Chilean foreign policy. Some people have used the term“military diplomacy” to describe military participation. C H I L E A N B L U E H E L M E T S I N H A I T I 81 The armed forces have...