The United Nations on Friday confirmed that more than 3,600 people have been killed this year in the “senseless” gang violence which have taken over Haiti,
The country, which has been regarded as the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, has seen a high level of the country gone into lawlessness with gangs taking over the capital, Port-au-Prince, which has led to the collapse of these security and health systems in the country.
In a report released by the UN Rights Office (OHCHR), it was disclosed that the country had seen about 600,000 displaced in the country in the first six months of 2024, while the report indicated that 1,280 were injured in gang violence, it was noted that the incidents had affected 295 women while 63 children were also victims of the violence in the country.
It was noted that in the first six months of 2024, at least 893 individuals, including 25 children, were kidnapped and held for ransom by some criminal groups in the country. It was explained that the criminal groups in the past were seeking to take power out of the space which was left by the political crisis and weak state authority.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, has charged the country to stop the attacks and violent activities notion, noting that no life should be lost again in the country. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights also charged the authorities of the country and the international community with deploying more apparatus to help the country overcome its challenges and protect the people on the Caribbean island. It was noted that the gang responsible for the attacks changed its ways of doing activities at the beginning of the year.
It was learnt that some of the victims have been killed through gunfire while others have been killed in broad daylight for allegations of reporting the criminal activities to the authorities or allegations of opposing the activities of the gang.
It was noted that the gang had gone further to mutilate the bodies of some of the victims and burnt them. It was also disclosed that the gangs go on film with the authorities and circulate on social media with the motive of putting fear in the minds of other persons in the country.
The report also noted that the gang have specialised in the usage of sexual violence to cart fear in the minds of the population.
It was noted that at least 860 people were killed and 393 injured during police operations and patrols across Port-au-Prince, including at least 36 children, in what could constitute use of unnecessary and disproportionate force.
The UN noted that the different gangs in the country have successfully recruited the services of children, which has caused more human rights violations. The report, which spoke on the level of food crisis in the country, noted that an estimated 1.6 million people in Haiti face emergency-level food insecurity.
In an step taken by the UN Security Council in In October 2023, it was noted that a multinational stabilisation force, which would be led by Kenya and assisted by the Haitian police was deployed. While speaking on the deployment, the Kenyan President William Ruto told the UN General Assembly on Thursday noted that the country would complete the deployment of the 2,500-strong Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) by January.
