Violence in Haiti

Half of Haitian gangs children – US calls for UN action

The US and Panama are urging the UN Security Council to form a force that can push back the powerful criminal gangs in Haiti, which according to the UN now consist of half of children, according to Reuters.

– Children are forced into combat roles and participate in armed confrontations. Others are used as messengers, scouts, arms smugglers or exploited for labor, says Unicef ​​chief Catherine Russell.

The Kenya-led, UN-backed force of around 1,000 men – less than half of what the UN hoped to raise – has not been able to make much difference against the gangs since it was deployed last summer.

UN chief António Guterres is calling for better compliance with the arms embargo. Almost all the gangs' weapons are smuggled via Florida in the US.

UN chief: Perfect storm of suffering in Haiti

Haiti is experiencing a “perfect storm of suffering,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres told the Security Council on Thursday, according to AFP.

– Civilians are under siege with sickening reports of rape and sexual violence. Hospitals and schools are repeatedly attacked. The justice system has collapsed.

The state’s monopoly on violence is collapsing as gangs spread across the country, forcing families to flee – yet Haiti is shamefully neglected and underfunded, he continues.

More than a year after a Kenyan-led international aid mission began, the situation continues to worsen, and the capital Port-au-Prince is now almost entirely under gang control.