Haiti UN mission chief found dead
BBC News
Teixeira da Matta Bacellar led more than 9,000 troops
The commander of the United Nations peacekeeping force in Haiti has
been found shot dead in a hotel room.
The body of Gen Urano Teixeira Da Matta Bacellar was discovered
early in the morning in the capital, Port-au-Prince, with a bullet
wound to the head.
UN officials said he appeared to have shot himself.
The Brazilian general had taken over as head of the 9,000-strong
peacekeeping force last September.
He will be replaced by Chilean General Eduardo Aldunate
Herman.
"It is unfortunate and devastating to see such a good and
honourable general killed in such circumstances," Brazilian
ambassador to Haiti Paulo Cordeiro de Andrade Pinto said.
Poll trouble
Correspondents say the UN mission has been overwhelmingly
difficult.
Haiti continues to be blighted by political and criminal violence
and instability, nearly two years after President Jean-Bertrand
Aristide was ousted.
The peacekeepers have so far had little success in improving
security.
The mission's mandate, which expires in mid-February, also includes
supporting the political process.
Correspondents say the Brazilian general's death casts further
doubt over the timing of the country's election, which has already
been postponed four times.
The poll has faced repeated delays because of spikes in violence,
delays in distributing 3.5 million voter identification cards and
problems with polling stations.
On Friday, the UN Security Council urged the country's interim
government to hold an election by 7 February.
Voting had originally been scheduled for November, then moved to
December, and then delayed a third time until 8 January.
But last week Haiti's provisional electoral council postponed the
election again, without setting a new date.
