An earthquake of magnitude 7Mw struck Haiti on January 12th. The epicentre was about 16 miles from the capital, Port-au-Prince. Fifty-two aftershocks were recorded, with one of magnitude 5.9Mw striking eight days after the original event.
The earthquake and its aftershocks claimed at least 150,000 lives, and left up to two million Haitians homeless. Buildings and infrastructure, already insufficient in the impoverished Caribbean country, suffered severe damage.
The crisis provoked an almost immediate response from international aid organisations, governments, and the public, with billions of dollars in aid being sent, as well as emergency supplies of food and medicines. The total aid sent to Haiti is estimated to be over $1bn, though the country has still struggled with a lack of doctors; it was reported that up to 20,000 preventable deaths occurred each day following the disaster because of this. Fears were also raised about health conditions for the estimated 370,000 people living in refugee camps.
While most aid was appreciated, some aired suspicions about the large US military contingent; the arrival of twenty thousand troops with the ostensible mission of keeping the peace was interpreted by some as an ‘invasion’; French minister Alain Joyandet complained that “this is about helping Haiti, not about occupying Haiti.”
Concerns were also raised about Haiti’s international debt, which stands at $890 million, almost as much as they have received in aid from governments. Oxfam International’s executive director Jeremy Hobbs argued that “expecting Haiti to repay billions of dollars as the country struggles to overcome one of the worst natural disasters in recent memory would be both cruel and unnecessary.” US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton commented; “it’s just unrealistic to think that Haiti would ever, in the far foreseeable future, be able to repay”. She spoke of debt relief as “feasible... we are looking at [it]”.
This would be a rare piece of good news for the country, which, even before the earthquake, was the poorest in the Western hemisphere, with “80% of the population living under the poverty line and 54% in abject poverty”, according to the CIA. While the economy had been improving recently, and “registering positive growth since 2005”, this trend halted when “four tropical storms in 2008 severely damaged the transportation infrastructure and agricultural sector.”
The weak infrastructure hampered search and rescue operations, which were officially suspended on Jan 23rd, though survivors were still being found days later. The relief effort is still ongoing, and it seems it will be a long time before Haiti’s recovery is complete.
Timeline: Haiti's troubled history
1492: Columbus arrives and establishes a colony, almost wiping out the indigenous population in the process.
1659: The French take over the eastern half of the island, naming it Saint-Domingue. Plantations in the colony become a major destination for African slaves.
1791: A slave rebellion begins, which evolved into the Haitian Revolution. Following twelve years of conflict, Haiti abolished slavery, and, after expelling the white colonisers, became the first black republic in the Americas.
1843: Long-serving President Jean-Pierre Boyer is removed from power; a period marked by corruption and instability follows.
1915: The US occupies Haiti, becoming de facto rulers for nineteen years
1957: François Duvalier elected president, and consolidates his power with large-scale repression. His rule is seen as “one of the most corrupt and repressive in modern history”.
1971: Duvalier dies, and is replaced by his son, who rules for a further fifteen years in a similar style. His death brings on a period of instability, featuring bouts of military rule
2004: A popular uprising forces president Jean-Bertrand Aristide into exile. A subsequent investigation found evidence of widespread corruption within his government. Since the uprising the UN has maintained a military presence to keep peace. Haiti is ranked by Freedom House as Partly Free, and the next election is scheduled for 2011.
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