OCHA/Giles Clarke. Displaced women and children live in a school in Port-au-Prince and have been forced to flee their homes amid gang attacks.
In a briefing to the Security Council today, the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Haiti, Maria Isabel Salvador, noted that more than 8,400 people in Haiti were victims of gang violence last year, where they were killed, injured and kidnapped. This number represents an increase of 122% compared to 2022.
Introducing the latest report of the Office, El Salvador, who also serves as Director of the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), said: "I cannot stress enough the gravity of the situation in Haiti, where the protracted and multifaceted crises have reached a critical point. ”
Against the backdrop of overlapping political, humanitarian and socio-economic challenges, the Caribbean country continues to be plagued by increasing violence and insecurity, all at the hands of armed gangs.
Violence rampant
Eighty-three percent of these unprecedented surges in killings and injuries have occurred in the country's capital, Port-au-Prince, but the violence has spread elsewhere, particularly in Artibonite, the country's largest province, according to the report.
In order to control key areas, gang elements carried out large-scale attacks south of Port-au-Prince and continued to systematically use sexual violence against women and girls in areas under their control, even for girls as young as 12 years old.
El Salvador said that since her last briefing, in October, at least 75 people are believed to have died at the hands of civilian policing and that the self-organized operation was a collective defense against gangs.
Support for the Haitian National Police
At the same time, BINUHH continued its efforts to strengthen the Haitian National Police, but the high attrition rate further undermined the ability of the police force to combat gang violence and maintain security.
El Salvador noted that in the past few months, the Government of Haiti and the international community have also stepped up their support for the Haitian National Police.
These supports include a 13 per cent increase in state budget allocations for the current fiscal year, as well as the supply of personal protective equipment, armoured vehicles, motorcycles and weapons.
Last October, the Council authorized the deployment of a multinational security support mission to support Haiti's troubled police force, and Kenya expressed its willingness to take the lead. Later that month, the 2022 sanctions regime against Haitian gang leaders and their funders was also extended.
El Salvador indicated that she would continue to encourage all stakeholders to make effective preparations for the deployment of the Mission and reiterated her appeal to States to contribute generously to that effort.
Break the cycle of crisis
While improving the security situation is essential to break the cycle of multiple crises that plague Haiti, El Salvador stresses that long-term stability can only be achieved if it achieves an autonomous and inclusive political process at the national level.
She once again echoed Secretary-General António Guterres' call to urge all political actors and stakeholders within Haiti to unite and put the interests of the people first and uphold them. She noted that in recent months, "new actors of violence are becoming more prominent" and concerns have been expressed about their potential threat of destabilization.
El Salvador concluded that "continued support for the Haitian National Police, the rapid deployment of the Multinational Security Support Mission, effective sanctions and the continuation of the political process" are all essential if credible, participatory and inclusive elections can be achieved.
She added that these were essential elements for the restoration of security and stability in Haiti, and that the rule of law, democratic institutions and sustainable development could become a reality only when the Haitian people enjoyed security and stability.
The "blind spot" of arms trafficking
Ghada Waly, Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), also briefed the Security Council on the same day on the latest developments in arms trafficking and illicit financial flows in Haiti.
An UNODC report last October clearly showed that four major sea and land routes were used for the movement of illegal arms and ammunition, mainly from the United States.
The latest report, released on Wednesday, also documented 11 unofficial or secret airstrips across Haiti.
Wally said this is a blind spot that may be being exploited by traffickers and smugglers, as direct flights between the U.S. and Haiti by small planes are difficult to monitor.
Illegal guns become a regional problem
She also noted that regional developments are also worth paying attention to, as the deepening crisis in Haiti does not happen in a vacuum. She stressed that the problem of illegal guns is becoming a growing concern across the Caribbean because it "fuels gang-related activities and drug trafficking and creates a vicious circle."
The report also documents actions to combat corruption and illicit financial flows, which are major factors in breeding violence and organized crime and plague Haiti's own judiciary.
But Valli acknowledges that local anti-corruption efforts continue to be hampered by inadequate capacity, lack of forensic equipment, and limited expertise to conduct complex investigations.
UNODC's next report will provide a detailed analysis of the dynamics of Haitian gangs.
