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He said that gang violence in Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas has now reached worrying levels even in areas that were previously considered relatively safe.
There has been a shocking increase in the incidents of criminal cases and misbehavior and the police force has not been able to control the situation.
Nearly half of the country’s population, i.e. 5.2 million people, are in need of humanitarian assistance amid the deteriorating security situation, cholera outbreaks continue and 40,000 suspected cases have been reported since October 2022.
action as soon as possible
Special Representative Isabel Salvador issued a warning that delays in tackling the unprecedented insecurity situation in Haiti could spread to other parts of the region.
“Time is of the essence and the people of Haiti need immediate action. If they are not supported, this vicious cycle of violence, political, social and economic crisis, in which people have to struggle every day, will continue to revolve like this.
Special Representative María Isabel Salvador was appointed in March and took up her post in the same month.
In her first week, she met civil society representatives, especially women’s organisations, national administrative agencies and senior government officials.
The Special Representative said that he felt during his interactions with all stakeholders that a path has been drawn towards dialogue for the restoration of democratic institutions in Haiti.
“However, people generally believe that without effectively dealing with the pervasive insecurities, it will be difficult to move forward.”
gang terror
He told that in the initial days after reaching the capital of Haiti, he felt the tension that the local citizens experience every day.
Areas under the control of criminal gangs are in the grip of horrific violence, women and girls are being subjected to sexual violence.
In the first quarter of this year, more than one thousand 647 criminal cases including murder, rape, kidnapping and lynching have been registered.
This number is double as compared to the cases registered during the same period in the year 2022. In the month of March, the rate of such cases was estimated to be the highest in the last two decades.
People living in areas controlled by criminal gangs face the highest rates of abuse.
weak police force
It is reported that due to the limited number or absence of police presence in the country, some residents of the city are taking security into their own hands.
This week, a group of civilians burned 13 suspected gang members to death after beating them to death.
The Special Representative noted that the Government of Haiti has invested in the national police force, but it is still severely understaffed and ill-equipped to deal with violence and criminal gangs.
In view of this, María Isabel Salvador has insisted on the deployment of an international specialized force approved by the Security Council.
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