Reportedly, strong gangs on the island nation of Haiti have not stopped moving forward in the capital city of Port-au-Prince, even as the country’s transitional government tries to take shape.
By phone, people in the capital region informed Agence France-Presse that armed criminals had attacked the barracks of two specialist police units. Regarding casualties, no information was provided.
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UN authorities claimed that hunger is getting worse as street violence persists.
“There is a very, very great fatigue. There is human suffering on an alarming scale. A lot of fear. Trauma. People are just simply tired,” The humanitarian coordinator for Haiti and U.N. resident, Ulrika Richardson, informed reporters via video conference on Thursday from Port-au-Prince.
2,500 individuals were murdered, abducted, or hurt in violent incidents in the first two months of this year, according to Richardson.
Furthermore, according to international groups on Friday, nearly half of Haitians are having difficulty feeding themselves, and starvation is practically certain in some places.
The World Food Program reports that the current state of food insecurity in Haiti is the worst it has ever seen.
“Rising hunger is fueling the security crisis that is shattering the country. We need urgent action now — waiting to respond at scale is not an option,” The head of World Food Program’s Haiti, Jean-Martin Bauer, stated.
In the meanwhile, as barricades and widespread violence in the city have increased, the United Nations reported late Thursday that over 33,000 people have left Port-au-Prince this month alone.
the U.N.’s International Organization for Migration noted in a recent statement “attacks and generalized insecurity are pushing more and more people to leave the capital to find refuge in provinces, taking the risks of passing through gangs-controlled routes.”
The statement continued, “should be emphasized that provinces do not have sufficient infrastructures and host communities do not have sufficient resources that can enable them to cope with these massive displacement flows coming from the capital.”
Since President Jovenel Moise’s assassination in 2021, Haiti has been roiled by unrest. The nation was then governed by Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who announced his resignation last month. When a transitional administration takes power, he declared that he will formally step down from office. Elections have not been conducted in Haiti since 2016.
A nationwide vote would be overseen by an interim prime minister chosen by the transitional council, which is currently in the process of being constituted. The International Crisis Group claims that gangs have already made it clear that they would not accept the coalition administration.
According to John Kirby, a spokesman for the White House, the Biden administration anticipates making progress with the transitional government in the next several days.
Armed gangs have presented challenges for police in recent days “advanced into new areas of the capital,” the U.N.’s Richardson remarked. “We see people coming in with gunshot wounds from many areas around Port-au-Prince.”
The United Nations Security Council urged nations to uphold the current arms embargo on Haiti, noting “grave concern at the illicit flow of arms and ammunition into Haiti that remains a fundamental factor of instability and violence.”
Humanitarians are having a difficult time getting the 5.5 million inhabitants of Haiti the aid they so desperately need. According to the World Health Organization, it is now difficult to bring necessary supplies and medications into Port-au-Prince due to the airport’s closure.
“The national port is operational, but accessing it is challenging, as the surrounding areas are controlled by gangs,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director general of the organization, stated.
An analysis by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification states that only 5 percent of Haitians have gotten humanitarian assistance.
Foreign visitors to Haiti have begun fleeing the nation totally due to growing dangers. According to a State Department spokesman who talked with VOA on Saturday, the U.S. State Department had assisted over 230 American individuals in leaving Haiti since March 24, 2024.
“We will continue to monitor demand from U.S. citizens for assistance in departing Haiti on a real-time basis,” stated in a statement the spokeswoman.
“We reiterate our message to U.S. citizens: Do not travel to Haiti,” they added, citing ongoing instability.
