At least 150 people killed in Haiti in a week as violence increases in capital
Violence in Haiti has ended At least 150 died in the capitalPort-au-Prince, in the last week, as this Wednesday, said the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, who has condemned the “mass violence” in the country.
“At least 150 people were killed, 92 were injured And nearly 20,000 people were forced to flee their homes during the week of November 11,” indicated a UN press release. This new balance brings the number of dead and injured in Haiti since the beginning of the year to 4,544. 2,060, according to the United Nations, which emphasizes that the real figure is “probably higher.”
According to the United Nations, some 700,000 people are displaced Half of them in the country are children.
“The worst is yet to come”
“Nearly four million residents of Port-au-Prince are practically hostages of those gangs They control the main roads in and out of the capital“, assured Turki, who added that “the latest outbreak of violence in the Haitian capital is a harbinger of the worst to come.”
Caribbean country is near Suffering from decades of political instability, But it is also facing a new resurgence of gang violence, which controls 80% of the capital and regularly attacks civilians despite the deployment of the Kenyan-led international force, the Multinational Security Assistance Mission (MMAS). Does. The UN High Commissioner said, “The mass violence must end quickly. Haiti must not sink further into chaos.”
Authorities announced Tuesday that police and civil defense groups have killed 28 gang members in Port-au-Prince after an overnight operation. “Mass violence should not be above state institutions,” said Turki, who urged “concrete measures (…) to protect the population and restore effective rule of law.”
These armed groups, accused of numerous murders, rapes, robberies and kidnappings for ransom, decided at the beginning of the year to join forces to overthrow Prime Minister Ariel Henry. New Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé was sworn in on November 11 and promised to “restore security” just a day after the Transitional Presidential Council, which runs the country’s executive, ousted his predecessor Gary Conhill.President since 2021 And without elections since 2016.
US calls for MMAS to become a UN mission
As the violence increased, usa This Wednesday requested that Multinational Security Assistance Mission The United Nations becomes a force, A request that Russia and China oppose. In September, when the UN Security Council renewed the mandate of MMAS, created a year earlier to help the Haitian police, Washington had already raised the idea, which was later rejected by the Council.
The Haitian transitional authorities have since sent a formal petition to the Council, requesting that MMAS be converted into a peacekeeping mission “as soon as possible”. At a time when the mission is facing severe resource constraints, changing this would allow it to “take advantage” Financial, personnel and logistics structures of the United Nations“As US Deputy Ambassador Dorothy Shea argued.
“We call on the members of the United Nations Security Council don’t turn your back on haiti“, for his part, requested Andrés Efraín Montalvo Sosa, Ecuador’s deputy ambassador.
According to AFP, a draft resolution drafted by the two countries calls on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to study the change, giving him 45 days to present precise recommendations, among other issues , including structures, personnel numbers, and mandate.