The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights human rights office (OHCHR) says it is deeply concerned about worsening violence in and around the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince and rising abuse at the hands of heavily armed gangs against vulnerable local communities.
The alert comes just hours after UN humanitarians said they were ready to provide all assistance to communities caught in the crossfire of gang violence once they can gain safe access to those impacted.
A recent upsurge in fighting between rival gangs in the Cité Soleil neighborhood of the capital has led to the deaths of 99 people with 135 injured, according to data reported by the UN humanitarian affairs coordination office (OCHA) in Haiti.
On Friday night, the UN Security Council provided a boost to UN operations in the French-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country by extending the mandate of the UN Integrated Office in Haiti, for a further year, through resolution 2645.
The Security Council also voted unanimously to ban some weapon sales to Haiti, with the resolution calling on UN member states to prohibit the sale of small arms, light weapons, and ammunition to what it calls “non-state actors.”
But a proposal by China for a full embargo on weapon sales was rejected. The UN resolution proposed by Mexico and the United States envisages sanctions in the form of travel bans and asset freezes against Haiti’s gang leaders and human rights abuses.
On Saturday, Jeremy Laurence, the OHCHR spokesperson, urged the authorities in Haiti to ensure fundamental rights are protected and “placed at the front and center of their responses to the crisis. The fight against impunity and sexual violence, along with the strengthening of human rights monitoring and reporting, must remain a priority”, he said.
“We have so far documented, from January to the end of June, 934 killings, 684 injuries, and 680 kidnappings across the capital. Over a five-day period, from July 8 to 12, at least 234 more people were killed or injured in gang-related violence in the Cité Soleil area of the city.
“Most of the victims were not directly involved in gangs and were directly targeted by gang elements. We have also received new reports of sexual violence,” the OHCHR spokesperson said.
OHCHR is calling on gang members and those supporting the violence to immediately cease their activities, which are impacting many of the most vulnerable citizens living in extreme poverty.
The UN said some gangs are resorting to extreme tactics to control locals, such as denying them access to drinking water and food. This has simply made malnutrition worse.
The violence has also exacerbated fuel shortages, as the main fuel depot is located in Cité Soleil, and transportation costs have risen sharply.
For months now, the desperate socioeconomic situation coupled with political gridlock has sparked street protests, adding to the deteriorating security situation, and many residents and businesses have shuttered themselves indoors out of fear, said OHCHR.
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