The situation in Haiti is “cataclysmic”, with 1,554 deaths during the first three months of 2024, the UN warned this Thursday, March 28, deploring that the “porous borders” facilitate the supply of weapons and ammunition to the gangs.
“It is shocking to see that, despite the horror of the situation on the ground, weapons continue to flow. I call for more effective implementation of the arms embargo,” says the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, submit a new report report.
Gang violence increases
Haiti, already in the midst of a deep political and security crisis, has been hit by renewed violence since the beginning of the month, when several gangs joined forces to attack strategic locations in Port-au-Prince, saying they wanted to overthrow the Prime Minister. Minister Ariel Henry.
Much discussed, the latter was unable to return to his country after a trip to Kenya at the beginning of the month. He agreed to resign on March 11 and the future Haitian presidential council, which must take the reins of the country, pledged on Wednesday to restore “public and democratic order.”
In its report, the UN states that “corruption, impunity and poor governance, compounded by increasing levels of gang violence, have eroded the rule of law and undermined state institutions…) to the brink of collapse.
528 cases of lynchings in 2023
According to the UN, the number of people killed and injured by gang violence increased significantly in 2023: 4,451 dead and 1,668 injured. The number of victims is increasing considerably during the first three months of 2024, with 1,554 dead and 826 injured as of March 22.
The Office notes that, despite the arms embargo, “the illicit trafficking of weapons and ammunition across porous borders has provided a reliable supply chain to gangs” such that they “often have greater firepower than the Haitian national police”. Along with the escalation of gang violence and the police’s inability to counter it, “vigilante brigades” who took the law into their own hands continued to emerge, the report said.
At least 528 cases of lynching were reported in 2023 (510 men and 18 women), and 59 more in 2024. While some murders appeared spontaneous, others were allegedly encouraged, supported or facilitated by police officers and gang members belonging to the coalition of gangs. known as G9 and its allies, according to the report.
Source: BFM TV
