Wednesday, August 7, 2024 - The United Nations has called for the accelerated deployment of international security forces to Haiti following a troubling report.
According to the report by the
UN, between April and June this year, at least 1,379 individuals were killed or
wounded in the ongoing gang warfare, with an additional 428 people kidnapped.
The report from the UN office in
Port-au-Prince highlighted the dire humanitarian crisis stating, “Service
providers report receiving an average of 40 rape victims a day in some areas of
the capital.”
Despite a recent decrease in
casualties from gang conflicts, there is a troubling rise in the recruitment of
children into gangs and escalating rates of sexual violence.
The power vacuum left by the
assassination of former president Jovenel Moïse in July 2021 has enabled armed
gangs to seize control over most of the Haitian capital.
The violence reached
unprecedented levels, culminating in the resignation of his successor, Ariel
Henry, in April this year.
In a bid to restore order and
pave the way for free elections next year, the first detachment of an
international task force, supervised by the UN, arrived in Port-au-Prince on
June 25.
Haitian Prime Minister Garry
Conille has committed to leveraging the support of 400 Kenyan police officers
to reclaim control.
Despite a reported 45% decline
in killings in the three months following Henry’s resignation, street shootouts
and human rights violations remain rampant, particularly in Port-au-Prince,
where 88% of deaths and injuries have been documented.
Armed gangs continue to besiege
neighbourhoods, targeting civilians suspected of collaborating with the police
or civilian defense groups.
In late July, a Kenyan police
officer who is part of the Multinational Security Support Mission in
Haiti suffered a gunshot injury during a gunfight with a section of
the gangs.
According to reports, the
officer was reportedly shot in the shoulder while attempting to expel the
gangs.
The Kenyan DAILY POST
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