RantCrush Top 5: December 2, 2016

The UN has finally, kind of, apologized for bringing deadly cholera bacteria to Haiti six years ago. In the years since, the organization has largely avoided the issue. An estimated 30,000 people died from the disease after UN aid workers were transferred from Nepal to Haiti after the earthquake in 2010. In a report released yesterday, as well as in a speech at a UN meeting in New York, Ban Ki-moon said: “We apologize to the Haitian people. We simply did not do enough with regard to the cholera outbreak and spread in Haiti. We are profoundly sorry for our role.”

Spontaneous applause from cholera victims watching livestream as SG Ban apologizes for @UN‘s responsibility for epidemic!

— Sienna Merope (@smerope) December 1, 2016

Although he didn’t explicitly say that the UN was responsible for bringing over the bacteria, the apology for not doing enough was met with cheers from Haitians who watched the speech online.

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.