Haiti: 'gang violence is expanding at an alarming rate' - Security Council Briefing скачать в хорошем качестве

Haiti: 'gang violence is expanding at an alarming rate' - Security Council Briefing

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Haiti said that a path for Haitians to engage in dialogue toward restoring democratic institutions in the country has been charted; however, “it will be difficult to move forward without effectively addressing rampant insecurity.” Addressing the Security Council today (26 Apr), the newly appointed Special Representative and head of the UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), María Isabel Salvador, said that gang violence is expanding at an alarming rate in areas previously considered relatively safe in Port-au-Prince and outside the capital. She also said, “The horrific violence in gang-ridden areas, including sexual violence, particularly against women and girls, is emblematic of the terror afflicting much of Haiti’s population.” According to data collected by the Haitian National Police and BINUH, in the first quarter of 2022, 692 criminal incidents – defined as homicide, rape, kidnappings, and lynching - were reported. In the same period in 2023, recorded criminal incidents rose more than double to 1,647. Last month showed the highest incident rates since 2005. Faced with increasingly violent armed gangs vying for control of neighborhoods of the capital, with limited or no police presence, some residents have begun to take matters into their own hands. According to BINUH’s Head, these dynamics lead indefectibly to the breakdown of the social fabric with unpredictable consequences for the entire region. The Government has continued to invest in the Haitian National Police. However, the force is severely understaffed and ill-equipped to address the violence and criminality. María Isabel Salvador reported that deaths, dismissals, and increased resignations among the police had cut its operational strength from 14,772 to about 200 personnel, of whom only approximately 9,000 perform police tasks. Barely 3,500 police officers are on public safety duty at any given time nationwide. In the meantime, recruiting new police officers has been halted due to deteriorating security and logistical constraints. The national police succeed in mounting some effective anti-gang operations but holding these security gains is merely momentary, the Special Representative said. She continued, “We need to find innovative ways to define the force to support the Haitian National Police. Haiti requires immediate assistance to counter increasing armed gang violence and to develop its police. The rapidly deteriorating security situation demands that the country remains at the center of international attention and action. Further delay in addressing the unprecedented insecurity in Haiti could also lead to a spill-over of insecurity in the region.” She also noted that beyond the immediate support that the national police require, it is urgent to make progress towards a nationally led solution to the long-standing political impasse. According to María Isabel Salvador, with increased armed gang violence, Haitians have continued to suffer one of the worst human rights crises in decades. She also said that the appointment by the High Commissioner for Human Rights of an Independent Expert on Human Rights, following a request from the Haitian Government, is a welcomed development that will strengthen human rights monitoring and protection mechanisms. On the humanitarian side, she said, “Almost half of the population – 5.2 million people – needs humanitarian aid. The number of internal displacements has increased by 50 percent in Port-au-Prince since November 2022. Some 39,000 suspected cases of cholera have been reported since the reappearance of the epidemic last October. The United Nations and its humanitarian partners remain on the ground and provide essential services.” Ghada Fathi Waly, Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), was also at the Security Council today and said that increasingly sophisticated and high-caliber firearms and ammunition are being trafficked into Haiti, with most new firearms and ammunition entering the country illegally by land, air, and, most frequently, sea. After the Security Council meeting, the Special Representative for Haiti addressed reporters. She said, “We believe that an international force is of utmost importance to help Haiti, to curb the violence and the human rights abuses, and also help to restore the rule of law and the democratic institutions. We believe that the Haitian people require urgent support, and unfortunately, if these decisions are not taken, unprecedented crises in the region may arise.” She concluded, “The issue is here that thinking takes time, and Haitian people cannot wait.”