Shooting leaves 70 dead, including women and babies

Dozens of people, including women and children, were killed in a gang shooting in Haiti, the United Nations (UN) human rights agency said on October 4.

The situation of gang violence in Haiti continues to be complicated. (Source: Reuters)

Reuters news agency quoted a statement by the spokesman of the UN Human Rights Office Thameen Al-Kheetan as saying that members of the Gran Grif gang used automatic rifles “to shoot at civilians, killing at least 70 people, including about 10 women and three infants.”

The incident occurred on the day the Caribbean island nation ended a month-long state of emergency, which was declared on September 4.

Meanwhile, the UN Security Council has not yet decided on the establishment of a peacekeeping force in Haiti, but only reached an agreement to extend for 1 month (from September 30) the mission of the security assistance mission - currently consisting of only 400 volunteer Kenyan police.

Kenyan President William Ruto has pledged to increase the total to 2,500 by January. Although operating under the approval of the UN and the Haitian government , the mission is not a UN-run force.

The extension resolution encourages the mission to accelerate deployment and calls for additional voluntary contributions.

Previously, the head of Haiti's transitional governing council, Edgard Leblanc Fils, proposed converting the mission into a UN peacekeeping force to address the lack of funding. However, this proposal has not been approved due to opposition from China and Russia.

Meanwhile, on September 28, Guinea under the leadership of the military government offered to contribute 650 police officers to the mission.

More than 3,600 people have died this year due to gang violence in Haiti, according to the United Nations. Violence is also a major cause of displacement in Haiti.

Meanwhile, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that there are more than 360,000 homeless people in Haiti. In March alone, more than 53,000 people left the capital Port-au-Prince due to increased attacks.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/haiti-xa-sung-khien-70-nguoi-tu-vong-co-ca-phu-nu-va-tre-so-sinh-288852.html