Severe violence crisis, UN calls for urgent measures

The United Nations (UN) on January 26 called for urgent measures to deploy a multinational force to Haiti after the Kenyan Supreme Court rejected sending police to the Caribbean country.

Người dân tham gia cuộc biểu tình ở Port-au-Prince, Haiti, ngày 14/8, yêu cầu chính quyền ra tay chấm dứt nạn bạo lực băng đảng, bắt cóc tống tiền vốn đã kéo dài hàng năm trời tại địa phương. (Nguồn: Reuters)

People take part in a protest in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on August 14, 2023, demanding that the government take action to end gang violence and kidnappings for ransom that have been going on for years in the locality. (Source: Reuters)

Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN Secretary-General António Guterres, stressed the urgency of adopting measures and mobilizing funds to bring stability to Haiti, a country engulfed in unprecedented violence.

A surge in gang-related killings and kidnappings has forced hundreds of thousands of Haitians to flee their homes, according to data presented to the UN Security Council on January 25.

The UN Special Envoy to Haiti, María Isabel Salvador, said gang violence in the country is on the rise, with the number of deaths, injuries and kidnappings in 2023 more than doubling that of 2022.

Speaking at a briefing at the UN Security Council on January 25, Ms. Salvador stressed that the prolonged crisis in Haiti was very serious.

From October 1 to December 31, 2023, Haitian authorities recorded 1,432 intentional homicides, including 157 women, 24 girls and 31 boys.

Also during this period, 698 people were arrested, including 258 women, 14 girls and 17 boys, more than double the number in the same period in 2022.

Source