Haiti: UN flags violence as 531 die in gang wars in 2023 so far

Haiti continues to be under tight grip of gang violence inside and beyond the capital Port-au-Prince, the United Nations said on Tuesday. The UN comments came amid continuous slump in Haitian currency Gourde reflecting a wider economic downturn in the Caribbean nation.

So far, 531 people have been reported to be killed in less than three months of 2023 in gang violence in Haiti, a country of over 11 million located between Jamaica at its West and Cuba to its northwest in the Caribbean region.

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The human rights office of the United Nations said it was concerned with the extreme violence in Haiti and that it was spiralling out of control.

"Clashes between gangs are becoming more violent and more frequent, as they try to expand their territorial control throughout the capital and other regions by targeting people living in areas controlled by rivals," the United Nations spokeswoman Marta Hurtado said.

This year, up to March 15, "531 people were killed, 300 injured and 277 kidnapped in gang-related incidents that took place mainly in the capital, Port-au-Prince," she told reporters in Geneva.

In the first two weeks of March alone, gang clashes left at least 208 dead, 164 injured and 101 kidnapped, Hurtado said.

"Most of the victims were killed or injured by snipers who were reportedly randomly shooting at people in their homes or on the streets," she added.

Haiti gang violence updates: Schools forced to close due to kidnappings

Across Haiti, students and teachers have been frequently hit by stray bullets, with social media chatter from the region claiming many to have been caught in the crossfire between security forces and a group of gangsters. Kidnappings of parents and young children around schools have increased, due to which many schools have been forced to close.

Without the protective school environment, "many children have been forcibly recruited by armed gangs", Hurtado said.

Haiti turmoil: Why is it worsening?

Haiti is among the poorest of nations in the Americas. The country has been under the grip of an increasingly worsening political and economic crisis since the assassination of President Jovonel Moise. Various armed groups now control more than half of the country, reports say.

The chronic instability and violence have sent food prices surging, and half the population does not have enough to eat, the United Nations said.

At least 160,000 people have been displaced and are living in precarious circumstances, with a quarter living in makeshift settlements with limited access to basic sanitation, she added.

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"Sexual violence is also used by gangs against women and girls to terrorise, subjugate and punish the population," Hurtado said, with gangs using sexual violence against abducted girls to pressure families into paying a ransom.

The UN human rights chief Volker Turk has also urged the Haitian authorities to address the security situation immediately, by bolstering the police and reforming the judicial system.

"To break the cycle of violence, corruption and impunity, all those responsible, including those providing support and finance to the gangs, must be prosecuted and tried according to the rule of law," Hurtado said.

(With inputs from agencies)

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