The unrest in Haiti

Residents of Port-au-Prince flee the violence. Odelyn Joseph / AP  

 

The unrest in Haiti  

UN: More than 2,400 killed in gang violence in Haiti this year  

 

More than 2,400 people have been killed in gang-related violence in Haiti since the turn of the year, according to the UN. 350 of them were killed in lynching-like circumstances. 

 

- Between January 1 and August 15 this year, at least 2,439 people have been killed and another 902 injured, Ravina Shamdasani, spokeswoman for the UN human rights agency OHCHR, told reporters in Geneva.  

 

As recently as yesterday, the aid organization The International Rescue Committee announced that it was suspending all efforts in the capital Port-au-Prince due to the widespread violence. According to estimates, criminal gangs control 80 percent of the city.  

 

Residents seek shelter at school. Odelyn Joseph / AP 

 

Emergency aid is stopped - the violence has "escalated dramatically" 

 

The widespread gang violence in Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince causes the aid organization The International Rescue Committee (IRC) to suspend all operations in the city, reports Reuters. 

 

In a statement, the organization writes that the violence "escalated dramatically" and affected neighborhoods where it operates. Similar groups have ongoing efforts, but roadblocks set up by the gangs mean that help does not reach those in need.  

 

Criminal gangs are estimated to control about 80 percent of the city. According to the news agency, the police are severely underarmed in relation to the gangs.