The role of Brazilian troops in the MINUSTAH

Colonel André Luis Novaes Miranda*

After years of playing a low-key role in peacekeeping, Brazil returned to the task in 2004 with the largest contingent ever to assume the military command of Minustah. Initially, the contingent consisted of a peacekeeping brigade, an army infantry battalion and an operational Marine Corps unit.

Since the arrival of the 3rd contingent (June, 2005), consisting of an infantry battalion, marine corps and an engineering company, the Brazilian blue helmets have been conducting the most successful peacekeeping mission to date in Haiti, the poorest country on the American continent. 
Minustah was created on June 1, 2004 to substitute the Multinational Interim Force (MIF) that had been active for approximately two months and was sent to Haiti to prevent a civil war. Although war never broke out, armed rebel groups roamed the capital and entered the National Palace shortly after President Jean Bertand Aristide resigned and left for exile in South Africa. So in terms of preventing war, the MIF had accomplished its mission. However, when the MIF handed over its responsibilities to Minustah, public safety was still very precarious and armed presidential supporters, joined by common criminals, ruled many neighborhoods in Port-au-Prince, the capital of a country without an army and only a minimal police presence that was unable to maintain public order and enforce the law. Minustah was given the mandate to ensure a safe and stable environment, respect human rights and support the Haitian political process.  

The Brazilian troops, from the 19th Motorized Infantry Battalion in São Leopoldo, Rio Grande do Sul, were the first to arrive in Haiti and take on their responsibilities. As the other contingents needed more time to mobilize their troops and set up their operations, the 1200 soldiers of the Brazilian brigade, also known as the Haiti Brigade, initially were responsible for practically the entire country. In addition to this enormous territorial responsibility, the contingent also had the difficult task of setting up the entire logistical structure for their own operations and their successors. This included ccommodations, operational bases, storage space, cooking facilities, medical facilities, garages, communication centers and other facilities.

By the end of 2004, the Brazilian role had been more clearly defined and the first contingent conducted major military operations in order to fulfill its mandate. The first results were emerging and by the end of 2005 a large part of the city had been freed from the organized gang activities of criminals who, sometimes under the guise of supporting Aristide, would steal, murder, rape and kidnap, terrorizing the population and impeding the development of the political process in the country. Once a safe haven for the lawless, the emblematic neighborhood of Bel Air was now free and able to welcome development projects by the UN, Government, NGO’s and other organizations.

The soldiers had a permanent presence in the heart of the community, in the form of a community base , a technique that Brazil introduced to MINUSTAH. It was during this period that Viva Rio began to develop its activities in Haiti. In early 2006, the country was ready to take its next vital step in preparing for democratic presidential elections. 

After the Brazilian infantry battalion had liberated Bel Air, they were given the assignment to do the same for Cité Soleil. They began their operations after newly elected president René Preval took office in 2006. The neighborhood of Cité Soleil had also been a long-time refuge for armed criminals supported by President Aristide in his earlier mandate in the 1990s. Cité Soleil had become a symbol of violence and anarchy, lacking any effective executive power for 13 years and ruled by various gangs. Showing the same determination as in previous endeavors, the Brazilian military commanded the effort to restore peace to the neighborhood in early 2007.

Now the capital Port-au-Prince was free from its two main centers of violence – located in Bel Air and Cité Soleil, and as a result it no longer made the international headlines. However, this most certainly didn’t mean that the troops had accomplished or finished their mission. Next came a phase of stabilization, which required the ongoing presence of troops on the street, either patrolling the city or supporting the National Police of Haiti. The troops also took part in numerous civil-military development projects, facilitating the work of civil society organizations that provided humanitarian aid or assisting in development projects, security, elections, human rights and other areas.  

While the infantry was directly involved in achieving and maintaining a safe and stable environment, the engineering company worked on behalf of the troops, building and improving the infrastructure of the country, benefitting the entire population. Indirectly, the engineers also contributed to peace in Haiti.

The success of the mission of the Brazilian troops in Haiti is the result of a combination of the use of force, when required, with a permanent presence in the community, with bases located in the center of problem areas, and a coordination of civil and military cooperation efforts. Brazilian soldiers have made an important contribution to peace in Haiti by pacifying neighborhoods that were considered to be among the most violent in the world, by being resolute yet friendly, strong yet respectful of human rights and tough yet helpful.  And after playing a modest role for many years, Brazil returned to the world of peacekeeping and has become a reference for its much lauded accomplishments.

* Commanded Minustah troops and was the first commander of the Sergio Vieira de Mello Instruction Center for Peace Operations of the Brazilian army.

Photo: Def Yuri