4 days ago
Haiti Faces Mass Deportations and Escalating Gang Violence
Haiti is facing serious violence from gangs.
Nearly 200,000 people were forcibly sent back to Haiti during the first eight months of the year.
That was at least 20,000 more than during the same period last year.
A gang attack near the capital killed 47 people, including five children.
Houses were burned, and people hiding in a church were attacked.
Experts say illegal guns are helping make the fighting worse.
International officials want a security force to help Haitian police fight the gangs.
They worry that the violence could make it difficult for Haiti to prepare for elections.
Nearly 200,000 people were forcibly returned to Haiti during the first eight months of the year, at least 20,000 more than in the same period last year.
A gang attack in Kenscoff near Port-au-Prince killed 47 people, including three boys and two girls.
Homes were burned and people fleeing the attack were assaulted inside a church.
Analysts said illegal weapons, many originating in the southeastern United States or trafficked through the Dominican Republic, are worsening Haiti’s conflict.
Officials urged faster deployment and renewal of the U.N.-backed Gang Suppression Force as insecurity threatens election preparations.
- Who
- Nearly 200,000 forcibly returned Haitians, Haitian communities, gangs, Haitian authorities, United Nations officials and the Gang Suppression Force are central to the report.
- What
- Haiti received nearly 200,000 forced deportees during the first eight months of the year while gang violence continued, including a Kenscoff attack that killed 47 people.
- Where
- The attack occurred in Kenscoff, a hillside community near Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Deportation flights arrived from the United States and the Bahamas.
- When
- The Security Council briefing took place on Friday, August 28; the Kenscoff attack occurred on Sunday, and the reported returns cover the first eight months of the year.
- Why
- Officials said gang violence, illegal weapons trafficking and insufficient security support are worsening Haiti’s crisis and threatening election preparations.
Key facts
- Forced returns
- Nearly 200,000 people were forcibly returned to Haiti in the first eight months of the year.
- Year-over-year increase
- The figure was at least 20,000 higher than during the same period last year.
- Kenscoff death toll
- A gang attack killed 47 people, including three boys and two girls.
- Conflict deaths
- The conflict has claimed more than 21,000 lives since 2022.
- Weapons routes
- The U.N. estimates that most guns entering Haiti originate in the southeastern United States, with many trafficked through the Dominican Republic.
- Gang Suppression Force target
- The Gang Suppression Force aims to reach 5,500 troops by fall.
- Mandate vote
- The Security Council is scheduled to vote on renewing the force’s mandate at the end of September.
- Election concerns
- A U.N. official said insecurity has severely constrained and left vulnerable preparations for Haiti’s first elections in a decade.
Quotes
Jennifer Locetta
U.S. representative at the Security Council
“This latest heartbreaking episode is a stark reminder of the urgent need to further strengthen international security support for Haiti.”
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“The GSF was not created to issue statements from within a compound wall or spend our money while Haiti suffers.”
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firstpost.com
