UN apologises to Haiti for cholera epidemic

The UN formally apologized to Haiti for its role in the country's cholera epidemic after refusing to admit its responsibility up until this year.

United Nations, Dec 2: The UN formally apologized to Haiti for its role in the country's cholera epidemic after refusing to admit its responsibility up until this year.

"On behalf of the United Nations, I want to say very clearly: we apologize to the Haitian people. We simply did not do enough with regard to the cholera outbreak and its spread in Haiti. We are profoundly sorry for our role," Efe news agency quoted UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as saying on Thursday.

Speaking at the General Assembly at UN Headquarters in New York, went on to say that eliminating cholera from Haiti and living up to our moral responsibility to those who have been most directly affected, will require commitment of the international community and the resources necessary.

Ban will end his tenure as UN chief at the end of December.

The cholera epidemic in the impoverished Caribbean nation has killed more than 9,000 people since 2010.

According to experts, it originated when human waste was dumped into a local river by UN peacekeepers from Nepal.

For years, the international body has resisted admitting its role in the epidemic, while victims' groups have tried to secure compensation from the organisation in the courts.

IANS