UN Secretary General Urges International Support for Haiti’s Security

First modification: 07/02/2023 – 20:01

In a one-day lightning visit to Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti, the Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, stated “his deep concern” about the disproportionate violence Haitians face, particularly sexual violence that affects women and girls. girls.

The main purpose of his visit, as stated in Press conferenceis to urge the United Nations Security Council to support the country’s security forces in their “fight against gangs.”

“The seriousness of the situation requires urgent and sustained attention, which places the victims and the civilian population at the center of our concerns and priorities,” he said.

The Secretary also called on States that have military response capabilities to “dismantle gangs” to do so, after approval by the Security Council.

On the other hand, Guterres affirmed that “there is hope” of reaching a political agreement, after meeting with the Prime Minister, Ariel Henry; with the High Council of the transition and with members of government and opposition political parties, as well as with members of civil society.

On the other hand, the diplomat explained that during his meeting with Prime Minister Ariel Henry they reached agreements on several fronts: on the need to find support from the international community in terms of military assistance, on providing training to law enforcement so they can fight the gangs that swarm Port-au-Prince and how to find ways to have democratic elections “on the most reasonable terms.”

The country of endless crises

Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, lives in political instability, with a decline in its democratic system, compounded by the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, in July 2021; Furthermore, affected by the civil violence that plagues the streets of the capital and the violations that many women and girls have had to face.

Other United Nations agencies, such as the FAO, report that 5.2 million Haitians, almost half the population, suffer from hunger in the country. At the same time, the Office against drugs and crime, also from the UN, published a report in which he highlights the increase in the illegal arms and drug markets. As well as kidnappings, murders, rapes and the increase in migratory flows to the north, mainly bound for the United States.

And the situation of women. In 2022, the United Nations mission in the country, BINUH, registered an average of 98 victims of sexual violence per month in areas of Port-au-Prince controlled by gangs.

In February 2023, a team from FRANCE 24 visited the Haitian capital. During this journey, the journalistic team verified the deterioration of security in the city, the lack of basic food and insufficient resources to acquire it (most of it is sold in dollars), as well as the sexual violence perpetrated against girls and women, such as a “weapon” by the gangs.

International intervention, a solution?

Rosy Ducéna, from the National Network for the Defense of Human Rights, consulted in February 2023, affirmed that foreign military interventions have not led to stable solutions for Haiti and considered that if “domestic solutions” are not promoted, few will be the changes to long term.

“Because the Haitian police don’t have the experience or the troops. They don’t have the weapons to fight the gangs either, and institutional strengthening is going to take a long time.” Professor Harold Pierre said in an interview with RFI.

Ducéna also pointed out at that time that, in part, the increase in violence and collusion between authorities and gangs (which the FRANCE 24 team was able to verify in different parts of the capital) are elements of pressure used by the Haitian authorities to achieve foreign military intervention.

On the other hand, Professor Joseph Harold Pierre, an international consultant in Port-au-Prince, he told RFI: “The strengthening of the Haitian police is necessary, but it is not the first step. It is not the first stage. The first stage is a military intervention to put an end to criminal gangs. Or perhaps the two things could be done together” .

Thus, Haiti continues in its multiple crises and without a short-term solution.

With Reuters, AFP and RFI