Gang violence in Haiti is getting worse – MercoPress

Gang violence in Haiti is getting worse

Gangs control about 80% of Port au Price.

The already critical situation in Haiti has reportedly worsened this week as gangs tighten their grip on the Caribbean country, threatening government officials and seeking to expand their influence into areas they still do not control, the UN says. The Integrated Mission to Haiti (BINUH) warned on Tuesday. “The situation in Haiti has unfortunately deteriorated,” BINUH chief Maria Isabel Salvador said at a U.N. Security Council briefing, where she cited an increase in attacks over the past week. It is estimated that more than 5 million people are hungry, and thousands are already facing hunger.

In this scenario, local and multinational law enforcement forces appear to be outnumbered and “under-resourced” as the violence “spreads terror and fear, overwhelming the national security apparatus,” Salvador noted. Disagreements between Haiti’s prime minister and the presidential council further undermine public trust, she said.

Prime Minister Harry Conil said on Monday he had ordered several hundred police and soldiers to guard VIPs in war zones as authorities sought to stop gangs from seizing control of Port-au-Prince. On Monday, Conil held an emergency meeting to discuss the attacks in Solino and other areas. “We will not cede strategic areas such as Solino and other recently liberated areas. The safety of our citizens is non-negotiable,” he wrote on X. Conil and other Cabinet officials received “consistent and persistent” unspecified threats on Tuesday, according to the Justice Department.

It was also reported that people forced from their homes by gangs moved into already overcrowded makeshift shelters, while others sought refuge in a school, church and health center. The gangs, which control 80% of Port-au-Prince, have also threatened journalists covering the latest attacks, calling them by name and ordering them killed.

The rebel gang Viv Ansanm, which means Living Together, was formed in September 2023, creating a coalition between former rival gang federations to overthrow former Prime Minister Ariel Henry and fight a UN-backed mission led by Kenyan police. Since the formation of the coalition, armed violence between gangs has decreased by 78%.