Haiti looking to curb “disruptions” from ex-soldiers

The Haiti government issued a warning Friday telling a band of former soldiers who have been in hiding for six months that it will not tolerate any actions that disrupt public order.

The statement suggested the ex-soldiers who once embarrassed the government and the United Nations peacekeeping mission with their paramilitary-like presence could be planning a new public campaign.

The Haiti defence ministry’s statement said it had received word that former soldiers were preparing to mount new public demonstrations trying to pressure government agencies so they could “obtain undue privileges.”

The veterans and their young recruits had paraded in public for several months with mismatched camouflage uniforms and a few of them carried rifles and pistols.