At least 150 people killed over past week in Haiti’s Port-au-Prince: UN

At slightest 150 group person been killed successful Port-au-Prince complete nan past week, nan United Nations says, arsenic nan Haitian superior reels from a surge successful pack violence.

In a statement connected Wednesday, nan UN Office of nan High Commissioner for Human Rights said much than half of nan deaths – astatine slightest 55 percent – came “from exchanges of occurrence betwixt pack members and police”.

Another 92 group were injured successful nan violence, and astir 20,000 others person been forcibly displaced from their homes.

“Port-au-Prince’s estimated 4 cardinal group are practically being held hostage arsenic gangs now power each nan main roads successful and retired of nan capital,” Volker Turk, nan precocious commissioner, said successful nan statement.

“The latest upsurge successful violence successful Haiti’s superior is simply a harbinger of worse to come. The pack unit must beryllium promptly halted. Haiti must not beryllium allowed to descend further into chaos.”

Haiti has reeled from years of unit arsenic powerful equipped groups – often pinch ties to nan country’s governmental and business leaders – person vied for power and power of territory.

But nan business worsened dramatically aft nan July 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise, which created a powerfulness vacuum.

Earlier this year, nan gangs launched attacks connected prisons and different authorities institutions crossed Port-au-Prince, fuelling a renewed governmental crisis.

The run of unit led to nan resignation of Haiti’s unelected premier minister, nan creation of a transitional statesmanlike council, and nan deployment of a UN-backed, multinational constabulary mission.

That Kenya-led constabulary unit – formally known arsenic nan Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) – has grounded to return power backmost from nan gangs, however.

Only a fraction of the planned contingent has arrived successful Haiti truthful far, while nan United States, nan MSS’s cardinal backer, has been pushing to get much backing and unit to bolster nan force.

The US besides has been pushing to toggle shape nan ngo into a UN peacekeeping force, a connection that has nan backing of Haitian leaders but is opposed by veto-holding UN Security Council members China and Russia.

Monica Juma, a nationalist information advisor to nan Kenyan presidency, said during a typical UNSC convention connected Haiti connected Wednesday day that Nairobi “strongly supports” that push.

Juma said nan MSS presently counts 416 “boots connected nan ground” from Belize, Bahamas, Jamaica and Kenya, but that is “too fewer for nan task ahead”.

“The urgency for a surge successful nan MSS unit deployment is evident,” she told nan assembly successful New York.

Many Haitians stay wary of UN interventions, however, saying past deployments person brought much harm than good.

A deadly 2010 cholera outbreak was linked to a UN peacekeeping base, for example, and UN forces successful Haiti were besides accused of rape and intersexual abuse.

Still, civilian nine leaders successful Haiti person cautiously welcomed nan Kenya-led multinational ngo arsenic a needed boost successful nan conflict against nan gangs while besides stressing that nan problems facing nan Caribbean state will not beryllium solved by unit alone.

They person called for much support and training for Haiti’s nationalist constabulary force, arsenic good arsenic an extremity to corruption and a Haitian-led governmental process.

In nan meantime, Haitian equipped groups are now believed to power astatine slightest 80 percent of Port-au-Prince.

Planes were deed by gunfire earlier this period astatine nan airdrome successful nan capital, prompting world airlines to suspend flights into nan metropolis and isolating nan country further.

The incidents came amid an soul powerfulness struggle that saw nan transitional statesmanlike assembly tasked pinch rebuilding Haitian authorities institutions ballot to disregard different interim premier minister, Gary Conille, and appoint his replacement, Alix Didier Fils-Aime.

Speaking astatine nan UNSC convention connected Wednesday, Miroslav Jenca, nan UN’s adjunct secretary-general for Europe, Central Asia and nan Americas, said Haiti is facing much than “just different activity of insecurity”.

“It is simply a melodramatic escalation that shows nary signs of abating,” Jenca told nan council.

“The quality consequences are severe. We are profoundly concerned astir nan safety, basal needs and quality authorities of group domiciled successful gang-controlled areas, successful particular, those of women and children.”