United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on Friday issued an urgent warning about the deepening human rights catastrophe in Haiti, after new figures showed that January was the most violent month in more than two years. Overall, more than 1,100 people were killed, injured, or kidnapped in gang-related violence last month.
“The already dire human rights situation has deteriorated even further, amid unrelenting and expanding gang violence, with disastrous consequences for Haitians,” Türk said.
At least 806 people, that were not involved in the violent exchanges taking place, were killed, injured, or kidnapped in January 2024. In addition, some 300 gang members were killed or injured, bringing the total number of people affected to 1,108 – more than three times the number recorded in January 2023.
According to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), gang violence is affecting all municipalities in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area, as gang members continue to fight for control of territory and have escalated their activities in areas outside the capital.
As Haiti faces a worsening conflict involving heavily armed gangs, the number of people killed, injured or kidnapped has already skyrocketed in 2023. The number of reported homicides last year increased by nearly 120 percent compared to 2022, with 4,789 victims reported in 2023. Haiti now has a homicide rate of 40.9 per 100,000 people, one of the highest in the world.
The number of kidnapping victims rose from 1,359 reported in 2022 to 2,490 in 2023, an increase of 83 percent. Gang-related killings and kidnappings intensified, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to leave their homes. More than 313,000 people have been forced to flee. Many have sought refuge in overcrowded and unsanitary places, affecting their ability to access health and education services.
Last year, the UN Human Rights Office documented a total of more than 8,400 direct victims of gang violence, including people killed, injured and kidnapped. That's a 122 percent increase from 2022.
In a statement Friday, OHCHR said the intensity of the clashes, which in some cases lasted several hours, may indicate that some gangs have recently received new ammunition. People in gang-controlled areas have been directly targeted.
Gangs also continue to use sexual violence against women and girls as a weapon, spreading fear by sharing gruesome photos and videos on local social media of people being killed and women being raped.
The UN Human Rights Office said the impact of the "torrent of violence on children" continued to be of particular concern. In 2023, 167 children were killed and injured by bullets. Some were executed by gangs or so-called "self-defense" vigilante groups for suspected support of rivals, while the recruitment of children into gangs continues.
Haiti has also seen an alarming increase in mob killings and lynchings of suspected gang members. In the past year, hundreds of suspected gang members have been lynched by local people and vigilante groups in all ten of Haiti's departments.
In recent weeks there have been anti-government street protests and civil unrest, supported by opposition political parties, in at least 24 towns across the country, including the capital, OHCHR reported As a result, schools, public services, and local businesses have been forced to close.
The UN office said that while some protests had turned violent, with public and private buildings being looted, there were also continuing concerns about the unnecessary and disproportionate use of force by law enforcement. Between January 20 and February 7, at least 16 people were reportedly killed and 29 injured, mostly in confrontations between protesters and police.
Police officers must always abide by the principles of lawfulness, necessity and proportionality when managing protests, in accordance with human rights norms and standards, and protesters must express their grievances peacefully, the UN Human Rights Chief noted.
“Every day that passes, more casualties are being recorded. Now, more than ever, Haitian lives depend on the deployment, with no further delay, of the Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti (MSS), to support the National Police and bring security to the Haitian population, under conditions that comply with international human rights norms and standards,” he said.
On October 2, 2023, the UN Security Council authorized an international force to assist the Haitian police. Acting under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, Council members voted for the non-UN Multinational Security Support Mission. The mission's goal is to help the Haitian police curb rising gang violence and restore security in the Caribbean nation.
Resolution 2699 (2023) authorizes the MSS mission for an initial period of one year, with a review after nine months. It is unclear when the force will be deployed. Kenya has volunteered to lead the Multinational Security Support Mission and has pledged about one thousand police officers.
However, on January 26, 2024, the Supreme Court of Kenya rejected the planned deployment of Kenyan police officers to Haiti. The ruling came after the court in Nairobi suspended the Kenyan government's plan to send 1,000 police officers to Haiti last year.
“As I have said time and again, while improvement of the security situation is the prerequisite to breaking the cycle of crises in Haiti, long-term stability will only be achieved through tackling the root causes of poverty, social and economic discrimination and corruption,” Türk stressed.
Millions of people in Haiti are in need of humanitarian assistance as the security situation deteriorates. The UN warns that humanitarian access is being severely hampered by insecurity. The United Nations estimates that more than 5.5 million people - nearly half the population - will need humanitarian aid this year. Among those in need are almost 3 million children - the highest number ever recorded.
Violent armed gangs control much of the capital, are gaining increasing control of Port-au-Prince, and have spread to other parts of the country. They have committed massacres, kidnappings, human trafficking, and sexual violence. An estimated two million people, including 1.6 million women and children, live in areas effectively controlled by the gangs.
The new wave of violence is negatively impacting Haiti's economy and spreading food insecurity. High inflation due to extortion and roadblocks has deprived millions of Haitians of basic goods.
The deteriorating security situation has exacerbated the humanitarian crisis, with more than 40 percent of the population, some 4.35 million people, facing acute hunger. About 1.4 million people are suffering from emergency levels of hunger.
Further information
Full text: Haiti: Türk warns of deepening human rights crisis following most violent month in two years, UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, press release, published February 9, 2024
https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/02/haiti-turk-warns-deepening-human-rights-crisis-following-most-violent-month