The United Nations’ head of human rights has calling on the international community consider implementing a specialized armed forces to Haiti, warning that violent gangs are creating a “living nightmare” for thousands of people.
The appeal by United Nations Human Rights Commissioner Volker Turk on Friday came at the end of a two-day visit to Haiti at the request of the country’s government. can’t control gangs killing, raping and looting more and more in residential areas. Violence has increased in the impoverished country since Assassination July 2021 belong to Haitian President Jovenel Moise.
“It is time for the international community to help the Haitian government regain full control to end this suffering,” Mr. Turk said.
He added that because many crises around the world are vying for attention, he fears that “the situation in Haiti is not getting the urgent attention it deserves.”
Hours later, at a meeting of the Organization of American States (OAS) in Washington, DC, the US government said it was continuing discussions with its international partners about the possibility of sending a multinational force consisted mainly of police.
Francisco Mora, the US ambassador to the OAS, said his country was still working with other countries to build a framework that would bring security and stability to Haiti, adding that Washington would soon too. implement new sanctions and visa restrictions.
Mora spoke after Haiti’s foreign minister, Jean Victor Généus, asked for a specialized international force “to be allowed to stand with us”.
“There is a deep crisis in the country that is calling for humanitarian aid,” he said.
The plea came as the United Nations Office in Haiti released a 24-page report on what it described as mass murders, gang rapes and sniper attacks in Haiti. Cite Soleil, the largest slum in Haitilocated in the capital Port-au-Prince.
Turk said: “The findings of this report are appalling. “It paints a picture of how people have been harassed and terrorized by criminal gangs for months that the state has not been able to stop.”
The report said that between July 8 and December 31, at least 263 people were killed and at least 57 women and girls raped in just one neighborhood in Cite Soleil known as Brooklyn. That area has become a no-go Fierce fighting between warring gangs.
During that time, the report said people lived in “an atmosphere of near-permanent terror resulting from the use of snipers who randomly killed any person passing within their line of sight.” .
Officials added that snipers would stand on schools and other buildings during the day to attack innocent people, with an average of six people killed or injured each week. Among the targets were at least 17 women and several children, the youngest just eight years old.
Gang members also broke into homes in rival territory, killing at least 95 people, including six children, one of whom was as young as two years old, the report said. Those who tried to flee the violence were killed at makeshift checkpoints.
“It is important to emphasize… that these violence and abuses are not committed by accident but are motivated by the interests of political actors in controlling territories,” the report said. know.
Officials note that three men were killed by a gang leader because they talked about the possibility of foreign military intervention. Prime Minister Ariel Henry urgent request in October to no avail. His request was made between a fuel station siege closed gas stations and crippled life in Haiti.
The United Nations report blamed the violence on at least eight gangs, including Haiti’s largest gang, the G9 Family and Allies, a gang federation run by former police officer Jimmy Cherizier. It has been accused of blocking access to food and drinking water in part by damaging public water pipes and threatening to kill water truck drivers if they traveled to certain neighborhoods.
As a result, the first death for nearly three years were recorded in October 2022 in the Brooklyn neighborhood, officials said.
In a recent interview with The Associated Press, Cherizier denied the allegations, saying he was just waging a “social war”.
The report says warring gangs are using weapons, including assault rifles smuggled into Haiti, and even relying on motorboats to attack opponents. The wave of violence was relocate tens of thousands of Haitians who remained homeless after their homes were razed or burned, the report said.
The United Nations office called on local officials to hold elections, provide more training and equipment to a severely understaffed police department, and arrest those responsible for “atrocious acts.” flagrant violation of human rights”.
It also once again calls on the international community to urgently consider the deployment of foreign troops.
“The problems are vast and overwhelming,” says Turk. “They need the attention of the international community.”
