Gang violence in Haiti: more than 1,500 deaths in just three months

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According to the United Nations, escalated gang violence in Haiti has killed more than 1,500 people in the first three months of the year alone. The situation in the Caribbean country is catastrophic and requires immediate action, according to a report published on Thursday by the UN Human Rights Office in Geneva.

The number of victims of gang violence in the country of about eleven million inhabitants rose sharply last year to 4,451 deaths and 1,668 injuries, it was said. This year it exploded again: by March 22, 1,554 deaths and 826 injuries had been recorded. In addition, there were 59 lynchings by self-defense brigades.

The healthcare system is on the brink of collapse

Violence by armed groups, which often have ties to politics and according to the UN control about 80 percent of the capital Port-au-Prince, escalated again at the end of February. The security situation prevented the return of interim Prime Minister Ariel Henry (74) from a trip abroad, who announced his resignation. The existing hunger crisis also worsened.

No new interim government has yet been formed. A multinational security mission approved by the UN Security Council, which the UN report says is urgently needed, has not yet got off the ground. The German ambassador left the country together with other diplomats. Citizens of several countries were evacuated, including at least five Germans and their families.

According to the report, the escalation of violence has led to an increase in human rights violations, including killings, kidnappings and rapes. Children are both victims of these acts and forced to commit gun violence themselves. Haiti’s health care system and state institutions are on the brink of collapse. Shortages of police personnel, corruption and arms smuggling were also identified as problems. (SDA)

Source: Blick