Haiti crisis: Armed international force needed to counter violence, UN envoy says

Violence has reached 'levels comparable to countries in armed conflict', UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres says

A police officer takes cover during an anti-gang operation in Port-au-Prince. AP

Gang violence in Haiti is expanding at an “alarming rate” and an international armed force is needed to restore order, the UN's envoy to the Caribbean nation warned on Wednesday.

Since the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in 2021, gangs in Haiti have increased in power in parts of the country that were once considered safe, leaving residents trapped by lawlessness that has spread throughout significant parts of the capital Port-au-Prince and rural areas.

Haitians are taking matters into their own hands. On Monday, a group of civilians used petrol-soaked tyres to burn to death 13 suspected gang members who had been in police custody.

Maria Isabel Salvador, the UN's special representative for Haiti, emphasised the “urgent need” to send a specialised international armed force to help police restore order.

“Time is of the essence and the Haitian people deserve your urgent action,” she told the UN Security Council. “Haiti requires immediate assistance to counter increasing armed gang violence and to develop its police.”

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has been requesting such a force for months but no nation has come forward to take the lead.

Ms Salvador cited figures from the Haitian National Police and the UN to “illustrate the shocking increase in criminality in Haiti”.

Last year, 692 crimes were reported, including homicide, rape, kidnappings and lynchings. This year, that number has more than doubled to 1,647.

The highest crime rates since 2005 were recorded last month.

“People living in areas under gang control are exposed to the highest rate of human rights abuse,” said Ms Salvador.

She said children were among the victims of the most heinous crimes, including killings, kidnappings and rape.

“Over the last three months, schoolchildren have been hit by bullets while sitting in their classrooms and kidnapped when being dropped off at school,” the UN diplomat said.

In a UN report released this week, Mr Guterres warned that as Haiti’s embattled police force faces increasing attacks from warring gangs, violence in Port-au-Prince “has reached levels comparable to countries in armed conflict”.

The FBI on Tuesday issued a warning to US citizens to stay away from Haiti.