UN warns gang violence in Haiti rising at 'alarming' rate

From rooftop executions and sniper shootings to the killing of children, the "staggering rise" in violent crime over the past three months is causing terror among Haitians, Maria Isabel Salvador, the UN special envoy to Haiti, told the Security Council.

Haitian police appear helpless in the face of the rise of gangs in the heart of the capital Port-au-Prince. Photo: AFP

The diplomat cited figures from the Haitian National Police and the United Nations showing that the number of reported violent crimes — including murders, rapes, kidnappings and lynchings — more than doubled in the first quarter of 2023. She said 1,647 such incidents were recorded, compared with 692 in the same period in 2022.

“The horrific violence in gang-infested areas, including sexual violence, especially against women and girls, is emblematic of the horrors that afflict much of Haiti’s population,” she added.

Salvador said UN surveys "indicate that gangs continue to use sexual violence, including the rape of relatives of rivals, to terrorize and inflict pain on people living in areas under the control of their rivals".

The Ecuadorian diplomat said some residents in the capital Port-au-Prince and elsewhere "have started to take matters into their own hands" due to the lack of security presence.

On Monday, 13 alleged gang members were stoned and burned alive by residents in the Haitian capital. “These events will inevitably lead to a breakdown of the social fabric with unpredictable consequences for the entire region,” she said.

Angry Haitians stoned and burned 13 gang members to death with gasoline-soaked tires on Monday. Photo: AP

Ghada Waly, director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), warned the Security Council meeting that “groups operating out of Port-au-Prince” were “seeking to recruit in camps for displaced people”.

“Illegal flows of weapons and drugs into Haiti are further complicating the situation, fueling violence and creating additional complex challenges,” she added.

In a report released this week, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that insecurity in Port-au-Prince “has reached levels comparable to countries in armed conflict”.

The UN chief has for months asked the Security Council to send a dedicated international armed force outside the UN to help police restore order.

While several countries have expressed willingness to join, no one has taken the lead. “We must act quickly before it is too late,” Haitian Foreign Minister Jean Victor Geneus told the Security Council.

Haiti is the poorest country in the Americas and has suffered years of humanitarian, economic and political crisis.

The assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise in July 2021 deepened the crisis, leaving much of the capital Port-au-Prince and several other cities under gang control.

Hoang Anh (according to AFP)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/lien-hop-quoc-bao-luc-bang-dang-o-haiti-gia-tang-o-muc-bao-dong-post245386.html