UN chief Ban Ki-moon apologises to Haitian people after peacekeepers sparked cholera outbreak
Epidemic has claimed more than 9,000 lives in Haiti, the most impoverished country in the Americas, and infected 800,000 people
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday apologised for the first time to the people of Haiti for the role played by the world body’s peacekeepers in sparking a devastating cholera epidemic in the country.
“On behalf of the United Nations, I want to say very clearly we apologise to the Haitian people,” he said three times – in Haitian Creole, French and English – to the UN General Assembly.
“We simply did not do enough with regards to the cholera outbreak and its spread in Haiti. We are profoundly sorry for our role.”
We apologise to the Haitian people ... We simply did not do enough with regards to the cholera outbreak and its spread in Haiti
According to numerous independent experts, cholera was introduced to Haiti by infected Nepalese UN peacekeepers sent to the Caribbean country after the massive 2010 earthquake.
Cholera, a disease that is transmitted through contaminated drinking water and causes acute diarrhoea, is a major challenge in a country with poor sanitary conditions.
The cholera epidemic has claimed more than 9,000 lives in Haiti, the most impoverished country in the Americas, and infected 800,000 people.
The UN reiterated its rejection of claims that it is also legally responsible for the damages from the health emergency.