Heavily armed rival gangs began fighting with renewed vigor and occupying the area in Port-au-Prince in late April, forcing more than 16,800 people, including children, to leave their homes and temporary housing. Had to be The fire of violence has spread to dozens of neighbourhoods, with hundreds of families coming under fire.
According to the OCHA, of the 188 people reportedly killed between April 24 and May 26, at least 92 were non-gang members, another 113 were injured, 12 were missing and 49 were kidnapped.
But given limited access to districts where regional conflicts are underway, the office warned that the death toll could be much higher.
The intensity and duration of the violence has devastated the country as it still grapples with the assassination of President Jovenel Mosse last July, and his killing power has left behind. The UN Security Council, meanwhile, is preparing to debate the future of the UN’s long-standing presence in Haiti, raising questions about its mandate in the country.
Officials say the scale of the mass violence has reached unprecedented levels. Evidence collected and cited by Bachelet included beheadings, beheading and burning of bodies, and the murder of minors accused of being informers to rival gangs.
Bachelet said the gang raped children as young as 10 years old, a tactic used to punish people living in areas under rival control.
The clashes have forced the closure of 11 medical centers and at least 442 schools – some burned and stolen. They have also blocked two main national roads connecting the capital to the rest of the country, restricting the movement of people and goods.
The OCHA said the violence appeared to have subsided over the past few days, but the situation still remained “highly volatile”.
Haiti has been in turmoil for years, but violence has escalated dramatically since Mosse’s assassination on July 7, 2021.
Mose’s assassination plunged the country into political chaos, with opposition groups refusing to recognize the appointment of the current prime minister, Ariel Henri. Henry had promised a quick change of power and elections after taking office on July 20 last year, but has been unable to reach a political agreement for the transition or a timeline for the elections.
In addition to the security situation and political crisis, Haiti also suffers from high inflation levels and food insecurity, with one in five children under the age of 5 suffering from acute malnutrition in the Cité Soleil neighborhood near Port-au-Prince. . , according to the United Nations.
