As violent gangs extend control in Haiti, UN commits to staying the course

Armed gangs are reportedly expanding their zone of operations, taking control of additional neighbourhoods and further isolating communities.

Gang violence is escalating at alarming rates in Haiti: tens of thousands have been forced from their homes, and critical supply chains have collapsed. Despite the rising peril, the UN has committed to remain in the country, helping the most vulnerable to survive the current crisis.

 Armed gangs are reportedly expanding their zone of operations, taking control of additional neighbourhoods and further isolating communities. This is despite the deployment of a UN Security Council-backed Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission, drafted to bolster the national police force, which is struggling to keep the peace as it grapples with a severe lack of resources.

On Wednesday, Ulrika Richardson, the Humanitarian Coordinator in Haiti, briefed UN correspondents on the parlous situation, noting the closure of the airport due to gangs shooting at, and striking, commercial aircraft, and an increase in killings over recent days: over a four-day period, over 20,000 people in the Port-au-Prince region fled their homes in search of safety and shelter.

In a separate briefing, Miroslav Jenča, the head of UN peace operations for the Americas, said that the gangs have “encircled the capital and all access roads” and, by some estimates, control around 85 percent of the capital.

On Monday, they even attacked the Petion-Ville suburb, home to international staff, UN offices and the diplomatic corps which was formerly seen as relatively safe.

If any more evidence were needed of the gravity of the security situation in Haiti, it came in the form of a press release on Tuesday, published by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).

The healthcare charity, which routinely operates in the world’s most dangerous conflict zones, announced the suspension of activities in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area until further notice, following an attack on one of their ambulances, in which at least one patient was killed.

Food and health aid operations continue

Nevertheless, the agencies and entities of the United Nations System operating in Haiti have been at pains to insist that they are committed to remaining in the country.

“Our humanitarian operations have, in fact, continued since the onset of this escalating crisis,” noted Ms. Richardson. “We've provided thousands of meals, healthcare and psychosocial care, and clean water.” The senior UN official added that a UN helicopter used to transport humanitarian supplies, which had been impacted by the closure of the airport, has now resumed flights between Cap Haitien and Port-au-Prince.

Two million hot meals

Since the beginning of the year, the World Food Programme (WFP) has distributed more than two million hot meals. This weekend alone, despite the risks, WFP and partners were able to deliver almost 38,000 hot meals in Port-au-Prince and nearby town of Arcahaie, a record amount in a single day.

WFP’s aid is not restricted to the region around the capital, however. The agency and partners are providing daily meals to more than 430,000 school children, 70 percent of which are prepared entirely with locally grown ingredients. Some 97,000 people are also receiving cash transfers, as part of efforts to create a social safety net.

The UN migration agency, IOM, is also maintaining its operations in Haiti, keeping migrant protection centres open, and providing life-saving assistance through mobile medical clinics, rental subsidies for displaced persons, protection of services, psychological support, water delivery to displacement sites and supports at border crossings.  

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