Among the victims at the hands of the so-called Gran Grif gang were 10 women and three infants. “As the attacks unfolded, gang members reportedly set fire to at least 45 houses and 34 vehicles, forcing a number of residents to flee,” said Thameen Al-Kheetan in a statement released in...
The continued surge in armed gang activity, particularly in the capital, Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas, has put immense pressure on local communities and their already fragile social services. Bruno Maes, UNICEF Representative in Haiti, noted that more than 270,000 people have fled to the south of the country. Struggling to...
“Elections are the only path and the only imperative to restore democratic institutions in Haiti. Only democracy and the rule of law can form the basis from which Haiti can progress towards development and growth,” she said. The envoy, who also heads the UN Office in Haiti, BINUH, underlined the...
“Displacement severely risks the health, food and economic security of people, exposes them to gender-based violence, and puts pressure on local infrastructure and social cohesion within host communities,” Philippe Branchat, IOM Chief of Mission in Haiti said on Tuesday. Surging gang violence Surging gang violence in Carrefour-Feuilles and Savanes Pistaches...
Armed groups control areas of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and some towns, blocking roads, driving citizens from their homes, and forcing the closure of schools, hospitals and businesses. Lives in danger The “non-exhaustive” list of violations and crimes they have committed includes massacres, kidnappings, pillaging, sexual violence, human trafficking and child...
The UN chief expressed deep concern at the extreme vulnerability faced by the Haitian people – especially women and girls – because of brutally violent and “predatory” armed gangs, like those encircling the capital, blocking main roads and controlling access to water, food, health care. “I condemn in the strongest possible...
“We are gravely concerned that extreme violence continues to spiral out of control in Haiti,” said Marta Hurtado, spokesperson for UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Volker Türk. In the first two weeks of March alone, clashes among gangs left at least 208 dead, 164 injured, and 101 kidnapped....
The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) report, Haiti’s criminal markets: mapping trends in firearms and drug trafficking, warns that a recent increase in arms seizures alongside intelligence and law enforcement reporting, suggests trafficking of weapons is on the rise. ‘Volatile situation’ “By providing a rapid assessment of illicit...
“The findings of this report are horrifying,” said Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, during a visit to Haiti this week. “It paints a picture of how people are being harassed and terrorized by criminal gangs for months without the State being able to stop it. It...
“Years of hard-fought recovery gains are being undone, and Haitians are grappling with setting the country back on a path to democracy,” said Helen La Lime, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative in Haiti. Turf wars Briefing the 15-member Council, Ms. La Lime said more than 2,100 murders and some 1,300...
The alert comes just hours after UN humanitarians said they were ready to provide all the assistance they could to communities caught in the crossfire of gang violence, once they can gain safe access to those impacted. A recent upsurge in fighting between rival gangs in the Cité Soleil neighbourhood of the capital,...