In Haiti, the month of January 2024 was “ the most violent in more than two years », indicated Friday February 9 the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva.
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“ The already dire human rights situation has further deteriorated, amid continued and escalating gang violence, with disastrous consequences for Haitians. », Denounced, in a press release, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk. At least 806 people were killed, injured or kidnapped in January 2024, and some 300 gang members were also killed or injured, for a total of 1,108 people, three times the number recorded in January 2023, says the Office .
Put an end to “ the suffering of the people »
It is in this context of violence that the Conference of Catholic Bishops ofHaiti calls on the authorities to immediately put an end to “ the suffering of the people “. What role can the Catholic Church play? For Monseigneur Jean Dénisord, Bishop of Hinche, “ the Church has weight, that’s a fact. Because, not only are there the faithful as a population, but there are also other communities which are not necessarily Catholic, who also recognize everything that the Church brings to this community. »
“ Certainly, the Church can weigh in on the situation, but the country is so gangsterized, it is the guns that speak in this countrysays the Bishop of Hinche. And it’s difficult sometimes, people think that the Church could, with the number of its faithful, take to the streets, et cetera. So there, the Church cannot go in that direction ! But the Church, as an institution, can initiate a dialogue, and we have also done so in the past. The Church does not remain inactive. The Church is not insensitive to what is happening. But unfortunately, there are so many interests in what is happening and there is obviously an attempt to drown out the voice of the Church. »
“ Support police officers who are victims »
In the fight against armed gangs which control 80% of the capital, Port-au-Prince, the police are calling on the government. Francisco Occil, spokesperson for the National Union of Haitian Police Officers (Synapoha), calls for better support for agents and their families: “ The problem we have, as police officers in the field, is that when a police officer is a victim during operations, there is no measure, no form of support that is taken to help his wife, to help their children. So, this is why we demand that the central State be able to take measures to support police officers who are victims on duty. And we demand that the State establish a social protection policy for police officers, for their families. »
“ With each passing day, new victims are recorded. Today more than ever, the lives of Haitians depend on the deployment, without further delay, of the Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti (MSS), to support the national police and ensure the security of the Haitian population, in conditions compliant with human rights norms and standards », also declared Volker Türk.
(With AFP)
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