The top UN official in Haiti on Monday sounded an alarm to the UN Security Council that escalating gang violence is liable to lead the Caribbean nation to “a point of no return.”
Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Haiti Maria Isabel Salvador said that “Haiti could face total chaos” without increased funding and support for the operation of the Kenya-led multinational force helping Haiti’s police to tackle the gangs’ expanding violence into areas beyond the capital, Port-Au-Prince.
Most recently, gangs seized the city of Mirebalais in central Haiti, and during the attack more than 500 prisoners were freed, she said.
Photo: AP
It was the fifth prison break in under a year, “part of a deliberate effort to entrench dominance, dismantle institutions and instill fear,” she said.
Haiti’s police, supported by the armed forces and the Kenya-led force, were overwhelmed by the scale and duration of the violence, she added.
The gangs have grown in power since the July 7, 2021, assassination of then-Haitian president Jovenel Moise. They are now estimated to control 85 percent of the capital and are moving into surrounding areas.
The UN-backed mission led by Kenyan police arrived in Haiti last year to help local authorities quell gang violence, but the mission remains understaffed and underfunded, with only about 40 percent of the 2,500 personnel envisioned.
In February and last month alone, 1,086 people were killed and 383 injured, Salvador said.
In addition, , more than 60,000 Haitians were displaced in the past two months, adding to 1 million already displaced by December last year, the UN migration office said.
“These figures are expected to rise,” she said.
Earlier this month, Fritz Alphonse Jean, the leader of Haiti’s transitional presidential council, tried to allay surging alarm among Haitians over the rampant gang violence by acknowledging that the country has “become hell for everyone.”
He promised new measures to stop the bloodshed.
However, Salvador said the Haitian government’s efforts alone will be insufficient to significantly reduce the intensity of the violence perpetrated by criminal groups.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in February said he would ask the Security Council to authorize funding for the structural and logistical expenses of the Kenya-led mission from the UN budget.
However, there are no signs that the 15-member council plans to address this request any time soon.
“Without timely, decisive and concrete international assistance, the security situation in Haiti may not change,” Salvador said. “Haiti could face total chaos.”
Kenya’s national security adviser, Monica Juma, told the council in a video briefing from Nairobi that the force has entered “a decisive phase of its operation,” where gangs are coordinating operations and attacking people and strategic installations, and targeting the political establishment.
While the Haitian police and the multinational force have launched intensive anti-gang operations and achieved some notable progress, especially in securing critical infrastructure, she said a significant gap exists.
Juma said 261 Kenyan police officers are trained and ready to deploy to Haiti, but they cannot get there because of a lack of equipment and logistical support.
She urged the council to take a “more assertive and proactive role” in helping to stabilize Haiti, saying time is of the essence.
Juma said critical to stabilizing the country is stopping the flow of guns and ammunition to the gangs and implementing sanctions against gang leaders. UN experts say most of the arms come from the US, specifically the Miami area.
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