The Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), António Guterres. Photo: UN
“Now is not the time to forget Haiti,” said United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres upon arriving in Port-au-Prince this Saturday to demonstrate his solidarity with Haiti. a population caught in a “tragic cycle” of violence, misery and health disasters.
“I am in Port-au-Prince to express my solidarity with the Haitian people and to urge the international community to continue supporting Haiti, including with an international force that can support the national police force,” Guterres said in a minutes later Tweet begins his first visit to the country as Secretary-General.
“Now is not the time to forget Haiti”he added, while his spokesman’s service recalled the “tragic cycle of security, political and humanitarian crises” that Haitians are experiencing.
During the visit, which was kept secret until he landed in the capital, Guterres will meet the country’s Prime Minister Ariel Henry and political leaders, as well as members of civil society and United Nations staff.
The Secretary General”reaffirm United Nations support for Haitihis strong call for the international community to support Haiti and its humanitarian needs, as well as his call for the immediate deployment of an international force in support of the national police force,” the statement said.
In October, following a request from Henry, he asked the Security Council to send troops to support the Haitian police, who were overwhelmed by gang violence.
Although some countries have said they are willing to take part in a force like the one claimed, none have offered to lead an operation of this nature in a country devastated by multiple foreign interventions.
Since that call, the United Nations has continued to describe the nightmare Haitians are experiencing: rooftop snipers, kidnappings, school attacks and weaponized rape.
Guterres’ trip follows a visit by World Food Program director Cindy McCain and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Catherine Russell, who described the situation in Haiti as critical and urged the international community not to abandon its support for the country.
Haiti is facing an escalation in crime and violence from gangs and armed groups operating mainly in the Port-au-Prince (capital) area.
(With information from AFP)
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Spiral of violence in Haiti: More than 1,400 dead since the beginning of the year