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UN: Haiti Could Face 'Total Chaos' 04/22 06:15
UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- The top U.N. official in Haiti sounded an alarm to
the U.N. Security Council on Monday that escalating gang violence is liable to
lead the Caribbean nation to "a point of no return."
Mara Isabel Salvador warned that "Haiti could face total chaos" without
increased funding and support for the operation of the Kenya-led multinational
force helping Haiti's police to tackle the gangs' expanding violence into areas
beyond the capital, Port-Au-Prince.
Most recently, she said, gangs seized the city of Mirebalais in central
Haiti and during the attack over 500 prisoners were freed. It was the fifth
prison break in under a year, "part of a deliberate effort to entrench
dominance, dismantle institutions and instill fear."
Haiti's police, supported by the armed forces and the Kenya-led force, were
overwhelmed by the scale and duration of the violence, the U.N. special
representative said..
The gangs have grown in power since the July 7, 2021, assassination of
President Jovenel Mose and are now estimated to control 85% of the capital and
are moving into surrounding areas. Haiti has not had a president since then.
The U.N.-backed mission led by Kenyan police arrived in Haiti last year to
help local authorities quell gang violence, but the mission remains
understaffed and underfunded, with only about 40% of the 2,500 personnel
originally envisioned.
Salvador said that in February and March alone, 1,086 people were killed and
383 injured. In addition, according to the U.N. migration office, over 60,000
Haitians were displaced in the past two months, adding to 1 million already
displaced by December. "These figures are expected to rise," she said.
Earlier this month, the leader of Haiti's transitional presidential council,
Fritz Alphonse Jean, tried to allay surging alarm among Haitians over the
rampant gang violence by acknowledging that the country has "become hell for
everyone." He promised new measures to stop the bloodshed.
But Salvador, who heads the U.N. political mission in the country, said the
Haitian government's efforts alone will be insufficient to significantly reduce
the intensity of the violence perpetrated by criminal groups.
In February, U.N. Secretary-General Antnio Guterres said he would ask the
Security Council to authorize funding for the structural and logistical
expenses of the Kenya-led mission from the U.N. budget.
But there are no signs that the 15-member council plans to address this
request any time soon.
"Without timely, decisive and concrete international assistance, the
security situation in Haiti may not change," Salvador warned. "Haiti could face
total chaos."
Kenya's national security adviser, Monica Juma, told the council in a video
briefing from Nairobi that the force has entered "a decisive phase of its
operation" where gangs are coordinating operations and attacking people and
strategic installations, and targeting the political establishment.
While the Haitian police and the multinational force have launched intensive
anti-gang operations and achieved some notable progress, especially in securing
critical infrastructure, she said a significant gap exists.
Juma said 261 Kenyan police officers are trained and ready to deploy to
Haiti, but they can't get there because of a lack of equipment and logistical
support.
She urged the council to take a "more assertive and proactive role" in
helping to stabilize Haiti, saying time is of the essence.
Juma said critical to stabilizing the country is stopping the flow of guns
and ammunition to the gangs and implementing sanctions against gang leaders.
U.N. experts say most arms come from the United States, specifically the Miami
area.
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