SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The UN said on Thursday that 1,860 people were killed, injured or abducted in Haiti from April to June, a 14% increase from the first three months of this year.
According to a human rights report published by the UN Integrated Office in 2013, the increase in gang violence continues to intensify in the capital Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas; Only about 300 people were killed or injured by snipers in the Cite Soleil slum area. Haiti known as BINUH.
The report was released a day after the US Embassy in Haiti urged US citizens to leave the Caribbean country “as soon as possible” given the ongoing insecurity and infrastructure problems.
The UN said 13 police officers and more than 460 gang members were among those killed from April to June, the majority of them lynching and then shooting at police. At least 230 suspected gang members were killed a violent civil uprising called the “bwa fort” It started in April and targets suspected criminals.
During this period, 298 more people were abducted; this represents a 24% decrease compared to the previous quarter. Nearly half of the kidnappings occurred in the Artibonite area north of Port-au-Prince, where gang violence and murders have risen.
Gangs continue to rape and mutilate The UN said these attacks were carried out to instill fear and punish those living in areas controlled by rivals. At Cite Soleil, at least 49 women were raped while trying to escape gang violence in April, and seven of them were later killed.
The gangs were also accused of looting or setting fire to around 100 homes and hijacking at least 13 commercial trucks carrying fuel, food and other goods from April to June. Commercial boats and barges were also hijacked, according to the report.
BINUH noted that impunity is widespread in Haiti and few people are held responsible for the violence.
“The judicial system remained dysfunctional due to the persistence of long-standing challenges, in particular corruption, political interference and repeated strikes by judicial actors,” the report said.
BINUH also has the Haitian prisons continue to be subjected to inhuman and degrading conditionsOf the 11,810 prisoners, 85% are held in pre-trial detention. Cell occupancy was over 330% and more than 30 inmates died from April to June; most of them were diseases related to malnutrition.
The report was published more than a week later. A team from Kenya arrived in Haiti To determine how best to help suppress gang violence in a country of more than 11 million people and only 10,000 active police officers.
US drafts UN Security Council resolution This will empower Kenya to lead a multinational force and provide 1,000 officers. No timeline was given for the presentation and voting of the resolution.
Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry had requested Immediate deployment of a foreign armed force in October to help fight gangs that have taken control of more territories since Assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021.
