Tuesday, April 14, 2015

UN Soldier Shot Dead At Haiti, D.R. Border

UN soldier shot dead at Haiti, D.R. border
Sergeant Rodrigo Sanhueza Soto [file]
Sergeant Rodrigo Sanhueza Soto [file]
 
SANTIAGO, Chile (sentinel.ht) - A United Nations soldier was shot dead Monday during a violent protest at the Haiti, Dominican Republic border.

Sergeant Rodrigo Sanhueza, 35, a member of the Chilean contingent, was providing security for a military vehicle traveling in Ouanaminthe, Haiti, near the border with the Dominican Republic when the unit encountered a protest and came under fire, the Chile defense ministry said in a statement.

The Chilean Defense Ministry was briefed on the death at 1350 hours and learned it was a shot to the face. He was hit and rushed to the UN force's Uruguay Battalion for medical care, but died of his wounds at 1415 hours, the statement said.

The ministry said it would send an official from the joint chiefs of staff to Haiti to investigate and clarify the facts.

Defense Minister Jorge Burgos expressed the condolences of the government, the Navy and the Joint Staff to the family of the sergeant who was married with two children, 10 and 3.

"What certainly be that this is the death of a Chilean sailor who dies in the line of duty for the sake of peace in our continent," he said.

Asked whether as a result of this case he will rethink the Chilean military presence in the area, the minister replied that "these peace missions have a global sense, a humanitarian sense, and import risk. Obviously your question is legitimate but I think what he did for world peace, Sergeant Rodrigo Sanhueza, and what our people do have a very noble justification, therefore there will be time to analyze your question..."

Chile has been part of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) since it entered the territory in 2004.

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