Gang-related violence in Haiti: the UN comes out of its silence

Text by: RFI Follow

2 min

The United Nations office in Haiti broke its silence on Wednesday to express its concern at the upsurge in gang-related violence. The worsening of the security situation has been notable since the start of the year. The armed bands extended their control over the capital but also in the provinces. The UN calls on the authorities to act, in particular by arresting gang leaders.

Publicity

With our correspondent in Port-au-Prince, Amélie Baron

In the first six months of the year, the UN recorded at least 159 people killed as a result of gang violence, including children. Perpetrated in mid-July and early August, the shooting murders of two infants, aged eight and four months, shocked the population.

The reaction of the United Nations office is rather late. In its press release, Binuh recalls that these human rights violations “  could constitute international crimes  ”. For the UN, it is time for the Haitian authorities to execute the arrest warrants pronounced for years against gang leaders.

The case of Jimmy Cherizier, alias “Barbecue” is exemplary: he is a former police officer who is believed to be responsible for several massacres and fires in poor areas of the capital. He has been considered actively wanted since February 2019, except that in April of this year, he was seen overseeing a distribution of food kits organized by Haitian police. It is this inaction of the authorities, which reinforces the feeling of impunity, that the UN particularly wanted to denounce today.

Newsletter Receive all international news directly in your mailbox

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

• Haiti