Haitian gangs killed at least 5,600 people last year, according to a new United Nations report. A report by the United Nations Office of the Human Rights Commissioner says another 3,700 people have been injured or abducted, and some have criticized the Biden administration's response as insufficient.
“The Biden administration has taken a piecemeal and politicized response to the crisis, preventing it from exploding ahead of the election,” said Andrés Martínez Fernández, senior policy analyst for Latin America at the Heritage Foundation. We put a lot of emphasis on that, but we couldn't find a solution,” he told Fox. News Digital.
A State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital that Biden will provide $629 million in financial and equipment assistance to Haiti, with $600 million already allocated. In return, Congress provided more than $113 billion to Ukraine.
“At the end of the day, it's a similar problem in Ukraine and Haiti that there doesn't seem to be a clear strategy underlying our engagement,” Martínez Fernández added.
Situation in Haiti worsens amid 'acute violence' as UN aid mission stalls due to mass violence
Violence continues in Haiti as gangs wreak havoc in Port-au-Prince in March 2024. (Project Dynamo)
In a horrific incident in early December, at least 207 people were massacred by the Wharf Jeremy gang in the capital Port-au-Prince. The victims, many of them elderly, were accused of using voodoo to harm the gang leader's son. Their bodies were mutilated and burned, while others were thrown into the sea.
gangs are in control now According to a recent VOA report, approximately 85% of the capital.
“While these numbers alone cannot capture the absolute horrors taking place in Haiti, they do illustrate the constant violence to which people are subjected,” said Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Kenyan police stand on the tarmac at Toussaint Louverture International Airport after landing in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Tuesday, June 25, 2024. The first UN-backed foreign police contingent has arrived nearly two years after the Caribbean country requested it. Help quell the surge in gang violence. (AP Photo/Malkinson Pierre)
Prime Minister Turk stressed the urgent need to restore the rule of law in Haiti. He called for strong logistical and financial support to enable the United Nations-backed Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) to carry out its mission effectively.
MSS has promised to send more than 2,500 personnel from several countries, but so far only about 500 have been sent. According to sources, many have not been paid for months and are vastly outnumbered by the 12,000 active gang members in the country. BBC coverage.
'Lawless country' Haiti plagued by corruption and deadly gang violence, fueling humanitarian crisis
The State Department defended its record, noting that a joint operation by MSS and Haitian police on December 15 resulted in the death of a prominent gang leader. But as violence soars, the State Department acknowledges more needs to be done.
“Current personnel levels are clearly insufficient to restore the rule of law and security to Haiti,” the spokesperson said, adding, “However, given the current challenges, the United States is committed to bringing the MSS mission to UNPKO. “We support the Haitian-led call to transition to the United States,” he added. (United Nations peacekeeping operations).
Gang leader Jimmy “Barbeque” Chéridier patrols the streets with G-9 Coalition gang members in the Delmas 3 neighborhood in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on February 22, 2024. (Photo by Giles Clarke/Getty Images)
Martinez Fernandez said it was unlikely that would happen. “There are significant challenges regarding its feasibility, not least because of the lack of Security Council approval.China in particular strongly opposes such efforts and expects to continue to veto them. There is.”
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In his UN report, Mr. Turk renewed his call for full implementation of UN Security Council sanctions and arms embargoes on Haiti to stem the flow of weapons to Haiti.
“Weapons entering Haiti often end up in the hands of criminal organizations, resulting in tragic deaths, thousands of people being killed, hundreds of thousands displaced, and critical infrastructure and services such as schools and hospitals being disrupted and destroyed. It brings about consequences.”
