In an Oct. 4 statement to the United Nations Security Council, Special Representative for Haiti Helen La Lime lamented the surge in gang warfare that has displaced roughly 19,000 people around Port-au-Prince in recent months.
The nation’s capital is home to 75% of the criminal acts and major civil unrest recorded around Haiti. The violence, which has increased following the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, has resulted in restricted access to roads in the country’s south, leading to fuel shortages and further crippling the economy.
In her statement, La Lime went on to praise Prime Minister Ariel Henry for his political inclusiveness and ability to steer the country through a time of crisis, but urged him to thoroughly and lawfully investigate the assasination of Moïse.
La Lime, who also heads the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), called the situation in Haiti “bleak.” She urged authorities to implement a more “holistic approach” to addressing gang violence, using an existing framework for reducing community violence developed with UN support. Read more
Oh please! Same old rhetoric with the same old result…little to nothing.