UN expert sounds alarm over rising gang violence – DW – 21-09-2024

According to William O’Neill, a UN human rights expert, the Haitian population is suffering greatly from the growing power of criminal gangs, which now dominate more than 80% of the capital Port-au-Prince.

After a 12-day visit to the country, O’Neill warned that Haiti is facing a “race against time” as its population struggles with insecurity, hunger and displacement.

Haitian police “lack the logistical and technical capacity to fight the gangs,” he said.

Despite the presence of an international security mission, the UN expert warned of the continued flow of weapons into the country, allowing gangs to expand their power.

What is the security situation in Haiti?

More than 80% of the capital Port-au-Prince is controlled by criminal gangs.

O’Niell noted that sexual violence was on the rise and accused gangs of using it as a weapon to control the population.

He said the gangs “trafficked children, forcibly recruited them into gangs and often used them to carry out attacks” on police and public facilities.

O’Niell added that the southern areas of the country, previously spared from the effects of the conflict, are now also facing problems such as skyrocketing inflation, food shortages and an influx of displaced people.

About 700,000 people are internally displaced, more than half of them children. Nearly five million Haitians also suffer from severe hunger.

“The humanitarian consequences are dire,” O’Neill said.

What is the international community doing?

The UN approved a security mission a year ago, but fewer than a quarter of the 2,500 promised troops have been deployed so far. About 400 Kenyan troops deployed this summer form the core of the mission.

“The equipment that the mission has been given is inadequate and the resources are inadequate,” O’Neill said.

He also quoted Haiti’s police chief, Rameau Normil, as saying that the country of more than 11 million people has only 5,000 officers. He quoted Normil as saying, “It is impossible to provide security.”

Despite an international embargo, weapons and ammunition are still being smuggled into the country, O’Neill said, adding that this has allowed the gangs to take over new territory.

What is the situation like in Haiti’s prisons?

According to O’Neill, conditions inside the prison are also deplorable. He spoke of extremely overcrowded conditions in some facilities, such as one in the city of Jeremie. The prison is designed for 50 inmates but holds 470.

“They sleep on floors that are flooded with rainwater and littered with dirt,” O’Neill said after visiting the facilities.

“This ongoing torment must stop,” the UN expert said. “The solutions are there, and they already exist. But efforts must be redoubled immediately.”

fmf,rmt (AFP, AP, EFE, Reuters)