Haiti considers it “absolutely vital” that the international community act soon to prevent a “genocide” on the island, the country’s representative to the UN Security Council said on April 22. According to United Nations data, more than 2,500 people have been killed, injured or kidnapped so far this year, five million Haitians are going hungry and an estimated 362,000 people have been internally displaced due to extreme violence, including 180,000 children. .
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“The humanitarian situation is going from bad to worse,” declared Antonio Rodrigue, Haiti's representative at the UN at the Security Council meeting on April 22.
“It is absolutely vital that action is taken quickly to prevent the crime of genocide from being committed in the country,” he continued. Rodrigue made reference to the declaration of the foreign ministers of the G7 (the group of the seven most industrialized liberal powers) of April 19, which calls on the international community to “increase its humanitarian aid to Haiti,” since “the people Haiti cannot wait any longer.”
More than a month after Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry resigned, The high levels of violence have not allowed the ascension to power of the transitional presidential council to take effect.created on April 12.
Haitian gangs, which in part have joined forces under the name “Viv Ansanm” (Living Together), control approximately 90% of Port-au-Prince, according to human rights groups.
The siege of the capital by the gangs was justified by them as a battle to oust Henry, but attacks on the Police and the civilian population have increased since his resignation.
Every day I wake up and find a dead body
Noune-Carme Manoune, a Haitian immigration agent, told the AP news agency.
Although the Security Council approved the creation of an international security support mission in Haiti in October 2023, it has not yet been deployed and lacks funding. The process was paused with Henry's resignation, pending the transitional government's takeover.
Read alsoHaiti: UN highlights the exponential increase in all types of abuses against the population
“The mission seeks to strengthen the capabilities and provide operational support to the Haitian National Police, helping it confront gangs and improve security conditions. It will help prevent, mitigate and address human rights violations by engaging with Haitian civil society to build trust,” said US Representative to the UN, Robert A. Wood.
Catherine Russell, director of Unicef, also pointed out in the Security Council that the security mission must “ensure above all that the civilian population is safe,” since it will operate in urban areas.
Dominican Republic, which despite criticism from international organizations such as Amnesty International and UNHCR (UN Refugee Agency) continues deporting Haitianstold the Security Council that “it cannot act beyond its capabilities” in the face of the crisis.
At least a third of gangs have child soldiers, Unicef warns
The gangs have blocked access to Port-au-Prince by air, sea and land, blocking humanitarian aid to the civilian population, especially children.
Unicef warned that 58,000 children at risk of death from malnutrition have not been able to receive the necessary help. Between 30 and 50% of armed groups in Haiti have child soldiers among their ranks, and Girls suffer from “extreme levels” of gender-based violence and sexual violence.
The situation in Haiti is catastrophic, and worsening day by day, lamented Russell
María Isabel Salvador, UN special representative for Haiti, confirmed that “some of the worst scenarios for Haiti have become reality in recent months”: gangs terrorize the population and in addition to attacking police stations, they attack universities and spaces of cult.
![People prepare to distribute food at a school converted into a shelter for internally displaced people in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on April 22, 2024.](https://s.france24.com/media/display/bee58a48-0191-11ef-8eaf-005056a90284/000_34PW9AN.jpg)
“Since March 8, 100,000 Haitians have left Port-au-Prince, seeking refuge from gangs in other regions,” Salvador said. “Food insecurity is also growing throughout the country,” she added, recalling that a UN appeal to raise $674 million to fight hunger in Haiti in 2024 had only been 8% funded.
The risk of running out of fuel increases
Armed men seized trucks and demanded that Haiti's port, the main terminal for fuel imports, suspend its activities on Monday, April 22.
Haiti “is running out of fuel,” FAO director Carl Skau told Reuters. “There is a ship on the way. If you can dock at the dock and unload your contents then you are safe, if not it is just a matter of days before the fuel runs out,” he explained.
Most businesses cannot stay open without electricity produced by fuel-based generators.
This is not the first time that gangs have blocked access to the port: previously the lack of fuel has forced the closure of hospitals, produced a cut in telecommunications and a halt to transportation throughout the country.
With AP, EFE and Reuters
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