The situation in Haiti is described as “cataclysmic” by the United Nations, with a death toll of 1,554 during the first three months of 2024, according to a report published this Thursday, March 28, 2024.
“It is shocking that despite the horror of the situation on the ground, weapons continue to flow. I call for more effective implementation of the arms embargo,” says Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, in the new report.
According to this report, “structural and cyclical factors have led Haiti to a cataclysmic situation, characterized by profound political instability and extremely fragile institutions.”
Haiti, already in the grip of a deep political and security crisis, has faced an upsurge in violence since the beginning of the month, with several gangs joining forces to attack strategic locations in Port-au-Prince, with the aim of overthrowing the Prime Minister Ariel Henry.
The latter, highly contested, was unable to return to the country after a trip to Kenya at the beginning of the month. He finally agreed to resign on March 11, and the future Haitian presidential council committed to restoring “public and democratic order.”
According to the UN, “corruption, impunity and poor governance, compounded by increasing levels of gang violence, have eroded the rule of law and driven state institutions […] on the verge of collapse.
The report indicates a significant increase in the number of people killed and injured by gang violence in 2023, with 4,451 killed and 1,668 injured. This trend continues in the first three months of 2024, with 1,554 killed and 826 injured through March 22.
Despite the arms embargo, the Office emphasizes that “the illicit trafficking of arms and ammunition across porous borders has provided a reliable supply chain to gangs”, often giving them “superior firepower to that of the Haitian national police.”
The multinational security support mission is deemed urgent by the UN to help the national police end the violence and restore the rule of law. However, Volker Türk insists on the importance of effectively integrating human rights into the operations of this mission.
The report also highlights the use of sexual violence by gangs to brutalize, punish and control the population, as well as the recruitment and abuse of children, with some killed during attempts to leave these groups.
Alongside increased gang violence, “vigilante squads” continued to emerge, the report said, while cases of lynching were reported, some associated with police and gang members.
