The United Nations Secretary-General warns of escalating violence in Haiti, gang control of daily life and the need for a multinational force to bring order to the country.
After his visit to Haiti this week, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday described the bleak prospect the country is suffering from violence and lack of supplies, while calling for urgent action by a multinational force.
“The Haitian people are trapped in a living nightmare. “Humanitarian conditions are beyond appalling,” Guterres said on his return to New York after the visit, which he also indicated by his attendance at the Caricom Heads of State meeting in Trinidad and Tobago.
Speaking to the press, Guterres drew attention to the complaints that both the UN Security Council and, in particular, some governments have been raising since the violence caused by criminal gangs in the Caribbean country has increased.
During his trip, the senior official heard first-hand testimony of women being raped and kidnapped “as weapons used to terrorize entire communities.”
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The armed groups have followed the line of a year ago, blocking land communications, medical posts and access to food.
In 2022, following Ariel Henry’s caretaker government’s decision to suspend fuel subsidies and fuel price increases, protests erupted while armed groups seized control of Port-au-Prince’s main seaport.
The United States has repeatedly reported providing training assistance, funding, and ongoing crime-fighting assistance to the Haitian police force.
The Haitian National Police has reported its worst shortage, having just over 13,000 agents in a country of 11 million.
On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in his speech in Trinidad and Tobago that Washington continue to rely on the deployment of a multinational force in support of Haiti’s security.
“We support the Haitian government’s call for a multinational force to help its police force restore security,” the top US diplomat said.
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Guterres said Thursday that the UN is not tracking an invading force on the island. “I repeat: we are not asking for a military or political mission from the United Nations. We call on member states to have a strong security force that will work hand-in-hand with the Haitian National Police to defeat and disband gangs and restore security across the country.”
Dozens of Haitian civil society organizations inside and outside the country, They ordered in November 2022 President Joe Biden does not want to send troops to the small country.
“We are very concerned that the deployment of a military force will only perpetuate and strengthen Henry’s hold on power without doing anything to alleviate the root causes of the crisis we are witnessing today,” they asked in a letter from Washington and Portuguese. au prince. .
The situation in the Caribbean country deteriorated significantly in July 2021 when an international commando was deployed murdered in his apartment from Port-au-Prince to President Jovenel Moise.
The country is still waiting for presidential elections to be held.
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