Growing gang violence in Haiti is devastating the lives of its people, with major crimes rising to a new high, the UN special envoy for the conflict-wracked Caribbean nation said Monday.
Maria Isabel Salvador told the UN Security Council that every day sees gangs engaging in killings, sexual violence including collective rapes and mutilation, and kidnapping.
She pointed to last week’s incident in which gang members dressed as police officers kidnapped the secretary general of the High Transitional Council, which is responsible for ensuring that long-delayed elections are held.
An estimated 2 million people, including 1.6 million women and children, live in areas under gang control, she said, and children are getting killed and injured in crossfire, some on the way to school.
Haiti lost its last democratically elected institution in January, when the terms of 10 remaining senators expired, leaving not a single lawmaker in the House or Senate. Since the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, Prime Minister Ariel Henry has been governing with the backing of the international community.
Read more here.
