The number of victims of gang violence at the beginning of the year was 53 percent higher than at the end of 2023.
In Haiti, more than 2,500 people have died or been injured due to gang violence between January and March, says the UN Haiti office BINUH in a report published on Friday. The number is 53 percent higher than between October and December 2023, the report says.
At least 590 people have died in connection with police operations and about 140 people have died at the hands of self-righteous groups, the BINUH report says.
Most of the violence took place in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince. Especially in the La Saline and Cite Soleil areas located in the city’s port, the violence lasted the longest, the report says.
According to the report, gang members continued to rape women and girls in rival neighborhoods, as well as in prisons and refugee camps. According to UN estimates, there are hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons in Haiti who have fled gang violence.
The United States and Haiti’s neighboring country, the Dominican Republic, have continued to deport Haitian migrants despite UN criticism.
They are trying to get a new administration in Haiti
Gang violence further escalated in Haiti at the end of February, when the prime minister elected without elections Ariel Henry traveled to Kenya to boost a UN-sanctioned police operation that would have brought international security forces to Haiti. A few days later, Henry resigned under pressure from the United States.
BINUH’s report called for speeding up the start of the planned police operation, which Henry had already requested in 2022. The UN approved the plan six months ago. However, its start has been delayed until a new administration is brought to Haiti after Henry’s resignation.
The report also calls for updates to sanctions, greater efforts to eradicate the illegal arms trade, safe routes for the transportation of important supplies, and rehabilitation programs for children recruited by gangs.
In mid-April, a governing council was established in the country, with the task of appointing a new prime minister and government for Haiti.
The interim administration is supposed to lead Haiti until presidential elections are held in the country. The elections are planned to be held at the beginning of 2026.
Source: Reuters