Status: 07/16/2022 8:27 p.m
The situation in Haiti is spiraling out of control. Hundreds of people were killed or injured in a slum in the capital Port-au-Prince this month alone. The UN’s appeals sound desperate.
Haiti is increasingly suffering from organized crime and brutal violence. According to the UN, more than 230 people were killed or injured within five days in a densely populated slum in the capital Port-au-Prince alone.
According to the UN High Commissioner, people fell victim to gang crime in the Cité Soleil district between July 8 and 12. Most of the victims reportedly had no direct connection to the criminal gangs. In the first half of the year alone, the UN registered 934 deaths, 684 injuries and 680 kidnappings in connection with acts of violence in Haiti.
“We urge the authorities to ensure that all human rights are protected and placed at the heart of response to the crisis,” the UN Human Rights Office said in a statement. The fight once morest impunity and sexual violence and the strengthening of human rights monitoring must be priorities.
UN mission extended
On Friday, the UN Security Council called on all member states to stop arms sales to gangs in Haiti. The delivery of “small-calibre weapons and ammunition to non-state actors” must be prohibited, according to the resolution submitted by Mexico and the United States. It also provides for the possibility of imposing individual sanctions on gang bosses.
In addition, the Security Council extended the existing UN mission in the Caribbean country by another year until mid-July 2023.
Caribbean country with many problems
Haiti is considered the poorest country in the western hemisphere. It has been destabilized in recent years by natural disasters such as earthquakes and hurricanes, as well as political unrest and crime. President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated last year. Since then, Ariel Henry has led the government as prime minister, and a date for new elections has not yet been set.
Currently, the population is also struggling with a sharp rise in food prices and fuel shortages.
