BBC News | AMERICAS | US military leaves Haiti

BBC News Online: World: Americas

Friday, 21 January, 2000, 04:42 GMT

US military leaves Haiti

The last US troops have pulled out of Haiti, marking the end of a five-year presence.

A lone soldier flew out of the capital, Port-au-Prince, on board a US air force jet carrying equipment used by the troops to help build roads, bridges and schools.

Without ceremony or fanfare, crews nearby loaded a hydraulic lift, generator and other equipment onto the plane.

It's a great feeling
Sgt Maj Philip Sloniger

The last soldier to leave, Sgt Maj Philip Sloniger, said he was proud of the US Army Support Group's humanitarian work, which included medical care for 138,000 Haitians.

At the height of the US-led invasion in 1994, there were 20,000 soldiers present in Haiti.

They were sent to restore the democratically-elected president Jean-Bertrand Aristide to power, following three years of military rule.

US officials say Haiti has largely policed itself since a local police force was deployed under UN supervision in 1995.

But correspondents say that despite the intervention of the international community, Haiti remains the poorest country in the western hemisphere, racked by political instability and widespread violence.

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