Amid an alarming escalation in gang violence in Haiti, another 9,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in Port-au-Prince in recent weeks, according to the United Nations. The Carrefour-Feuilles neighborhood has become a grim example of this crisis, where residents have sought refuge at a local sports ground to escape rampant violence.
According to United Nations estimates, more than 8,700 people have been displaced in the Carrefour-Feuilles neighborhood. More than half of them were forced to flee due to a recent outbreak of violence perpetrated by armed gangs. Starting on August 12, residents began to flee en masse, escaping the attacks that have hit the area.
In the courtyard of the local sports field, small shops have crowded together, leaving minimal shelter for the displaced. People of all ages have crowded in, drying their clothes on the access ramps and taking care of their children in modest plastic tubs. The lack of space is evident but the feeling of security is paramount. Returning to their abandoned homes does not seem to be a viable option.
“Even if order is restored in the area, I would not return because we have to flee too much. We are tired of always being victims. It is better to go live in the provinces, even if we do not have land there. I was born in Port-au-Prince, at the State University Hospital of Haiti, I grew up in Carrefour-Feuilles. It is better that we leave Port-au-Prince. Even if we receive help from foreign entities, we will continue in the same situation,” Orisca Marie Youseline, who has found refuge in the local gym, told the news agency. Reuters.
The situation becomes even more alarming when you broaden the perspective to the national level. Haiti has been plagued by increasing gang violence that has managed to take 80% of the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince.
Clashes between these gangs have unleashed a devastating humanitarian crisis, leaving almost 200,000 people displaced throughout the country, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Food shortages are severe, murders and kidnappings are commonplace, and sexual violence has spread alarmingly.
From the beginning of this year to mid-August, the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti has registered approximately 2,439 gang-related murders. In addition, more than 950 people have been kidnapped and another 902 have been seriously injured.
Internal displacement: a new phenomenon facing the country
The country has faced additional pressures due to devastating floods caused by torrential rains and extreme weather events, which have affected more than 46,000 people during the hurricane season and has displaced more than 13,000 people throughout the country.
High levels of insecurity have generated mistrust between host communities and displaced persons, worsening social cohesion and forcing people to leave the relative safety of their temporary accommodation in search of other makeshift displacement sites. These places expose the displaced to additional risks, including community violence, sexual abuse, discrimination and mistreatment.
“We are committed to providing humanitarian aid despite the challenges. In the makeshift shelter camps we provide personal hygiene items, sunlamps, kitchen utensils and protective measures for those who have had to leave their homes,” said Ulrika Richardson, Deputy Special Representative of the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti.
Almost half of the Haitian population, around 5.2 million people, needs humanitarian assistance. In early August, IOM called for increased international support, urging donors and stakeholders to contribute to both immediate needs and long-term solutions. At the moment, only 20% of Haiti’s Humanitarian Response Plan is funded.
🇭🇹❗Haiti’s displacement crisis deepens: Fatigue in host communities pushes half of displaced to dire makeshift sites amid rising violence & instability.
Urgent international support is needed to meet the humanitarian needs of nearly 5.2 million people.https://t.co/rQPlc9bKLD
— IOM – UN Migration 🇺🇳 (@UNmigration) August 16, 2023
In the midst of this crisis, the de facto Prime Minister of Haiti, Ariel Henry, has requested international assistance to guarantee security in the country since October 2022, despite the controversies of previous international interventions in the country. The most controversial intervention was that of 2010, in which sexual abuse was denounced and also the entry of cholera into the country by blue helmets.
Aid from Kenya plants doubts
The situation in Haiti has become increasingly tense in recent weeks, coinciding with the arrival of a reconnaissance mission from Kenya made up of about a dozen senior police officers.
This delegation seeks to assess the feasibility of leading a multinational force to combat the growing gang violence that has left the Haitian population in a situation of extreme vulnerability.
The Caribbean country faces a major challenge with the national police department, which is understaffed and under-resourced to deal with the growing gang threat. With only around 10,000 police officers for a population of over 11 million peoplethe security forces have been overwhelmed.
The United States has also announced its intention to submit a resolution to the UN Security Council to authorize Kenya to lead a multinational police force and provide an additional 1,000 officers.
And on August 15, the Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, “called for a robust use of force” to combat the situation and the resolution is expected to be voted on in the Security Council, but there is still no date for it.
However, eventual support from the African country has generated some concern among the population due to the controversies surrounding the Kenyan police force, accused in the past of alleged extrajudicial executions and torture.
Thus, some civil society leaders in Haiti have rejected the idea of foreign intervention, arguing that past experiences have caused more harm than good. An issue that polarizes the population.
Two years of an escalating spiral of violence
The situation in Haiti has become increasingly critical due to the increase in violence in the Caribbean country, a problem that has worsened since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021, which has left a power vacuum in the country. . The lack of an effective government system has made it difficult to contain attacks and maintain security.
The ‘gangs’ have left serious consequences in the daily life of Haitians. Access to healthcare services has been hampered, schools and clinics have had to close, and pre-existing food insecurity has been exacerbated as residents of gang-controlled areas are unable to obtain essential supplies.
Although not an isolated crisis, on the political side, Henry faces a legitimacy crisis after Moïse elected him to office shortly before his assassination. Attempts to establish a political transition for the country have failed amid rising violence.
The organization Human Rights Watch noted that the security situation is even more serious due to the political paralysisthe dysfunction of the judicial system and the historical impunity for human rights abuses.
In a country without institutions and lacking fundamental rights, Haitians increasingly lose hope due to the cyclone of violence they face daily.
With Reuters, AP and local media
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