The United Nations warned on Tuesday that the humanitarian situation in Haiti is deteriorating rapidly, describing security in the Caribbean country as “extremely fragile” due to a surge in gang-related violence that continues to grip the country. The warning comes as the UN urges international action to help stabilize Haiti.
Speaking during a UN Security Council meeting, Maria Salvador, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Haiti, said violence is escalating. Criminal gangs are expanding their activities beyond the capital, Port-au-Prince, and terrorizing other regions, she said, citing a recent attack that left more than 100 dead.
That particularly brutal assault took place on October 3 in the town of Port-Sonde, located in the Artibonite district, when armed gangs raided the town, killing 115 civilians and injuring dozens more.
Children are “bearing the full brunt of atrocities committed by gangs, including murders, kidnappings, and sexual violence,” Salvador said.
The UN representative also said she was concerned over the country’s political instability. While some progress has been made previously, the political process has now hit significant roadblocks. “What once sparked hope has now turned into profound concern,” Salvador warned.
In an effort to support Haiti’s overwhelmed security forces, the UN is coordinating the deployment of the Multinational Security Support Mission, led by a Kenyan police contingent. The Mission, however, is under-resourced, according to Salvador. Currently, it consists of around 430 personnel from countries such as Kenya, the Bahamas, Belize, and Jamaica, but “this number is far from enough to address the scale of the crisis,” she asserted.
Beyond the manpower shortage, Salvador pointed to another critical issue potentially precipitated by insufficient funding: the inability of the mission to fully support Haiti’s National Police and carry out its objectives.
Gang-related crimes surged earlier this year. Armed gangs orchestrated multiple attacks on police stations and two of the biggest prisons in Port-au-Prince, as well as the international airport, among other sites.
The carnage has already forced over 580,000 people, half of which are children, to flee their homes, the UN asserted.