The United Nations (UN) reported last Saturday, July 16, that 99 people died and 135 were injured because of increased fighting between rival gangs in Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital. The crimes were recorded between July 8 and 12, 2022.
From January to June 2022, Haiti recorded 934 murders, 684 wounded, and 680 kidnappings. OHCHR (UN High Commissioner for Human Rights) spokesman Jeremy Laurence said most victims were not directly involved in gangs. There are also reports of sexual violence.
“Heavily armed gangs are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their actions, carrying out simultaneous, coordinated, and organized attacks in different areas,” Laurence said.
The focus of the violence is in Cité Soleil, one of the poorest neighborhoods in the Haitian capital. According to the UN agency, the gangs are resorting to extreme means to control the area’s residents, such as denying them access to drinking water and food.
The gangs’ actions in the area have also caused fuel shortages, as Haiti’s main fuel depot is located in Cité Soleil. The situation has caused street protests and closures due to insecurity.
According to the UNHCHR, at least 2,500 people have been forced from their homes because of the fighting, while a “large proportion of the population” is trapped in Cité Soleil.
On January 1, 2022, Haiti’s Prime Minister Ariel Henry said he had suffered an assassination attempt in the western city of Gonaïves.
According to Henry’s advisory, “bandits and terrorists” shot at him and his entourage in a church during an event celebrating the country’s 218th anniversary of independence.
On July 7, 2021, the then president of Haiti, Jovenel Moïse, was assassinated in his home on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince. Since then, Henry has been in charge of the country.
With information from Poder360