Rio, 6/26/2006 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - Brazilian troops in Haiti as part of the UN Stabilization Mission (Missão de Paz das Nações Unidas no Haiti) (Minustah) have been forced to deal with higher levels of gang violence recently, reports Alberto Barbosa Nascimento, an officer who is in charge of press relations for the Brazilian forces, which number 1,200. According to Nascimento, the gangs have broken a truce and are now resorting to violence as the government attempts to exercise its authority.

Minustah bulletins, which are issued daily, show that over the last ten days Brazilian soldiers have been involved in at least four armed conflicts. In one incident, a gang of seven armed men fired on Brazilian soldiers in the Bel-Air neighborhood of the capital, Port-au-Prince. The soldiers responded and one of the attackers was killed.

Nascimento says one of the reasons for the upsurge in violence is the crackdown by the new government (which took office in February) on gang activities, such as drug trafficking and kidnappings. Brazilian troops have also moved into the Cité Soleil area of Port-au-Prince, a sort of violent no-man's land that was long abandoned by the government. "It is a place that was no-go for police and authorities," explains Nascimento.

Translation: Allen Bennett