UN Expert Urges Immediate Action as Haiti's Crisis Deepens

The UN's human rights expert William O'Neill reports a worsening crisis in Haiti, emphasizing the need for immediate action to bolster security as the mission's deadline looms. Powerful gangs dominate, causing severe displacement, resources shortages, and widespread violence. Insufficient international support impairs the effectiveness of the mission.

The United Nations' expert on human rights in Haiti announced on Friday that the crisis in the embattled Caribbean nation has significantly deteriorated, calling for immediate efforts to scale up security measures as the deadline for a security mission nears.

"The solutions are there, and they already exist. But efforts must be redoubled immediately," U.N. expert William O'Neill said during his visit to Haiti. "This enduring agony must stop. It is a race against time."

Powerful gangs armed primarily with weapons trafficked from the United States have seized control of much of the capital and expanded their reach. This has led to mass displacement, severe shortages of food and medical supplies, record levels of hunger, and widespread sexual violence. In 2022, Haiti's former government requested an international security mission with a one-year mandate, but nearly a year later, less than a quarter of the promised troops have arrived, and the mission's results have been minimal.

"The equipment it has received is inadequate, and its resources are insufficient," O'Neill stated, reporting that continued smuggling of firearms and ammunition allows gangs to carry out large-scale attacks and expand their territories. The number of internally displaced persons has grown to around 700,000, half of whom are children, up from nearly 580,000 in June.

Previously unaffected southern regions are now experiencing soaring inflation, critical supply shortages, and rising numbers of displaced individuals. Furthermore, cases of sexual violence, child trafficking, and child recruitment into gangs have all increased, according to O'Neill. Less than a third of Haiti's health services are currently operating normally, and close to 5 million people face severe hunger, particularly in prisons where unsanitary, overcrowded conditions have led to several deaths.

More than 80% of prisoners have not faced trial, and anti-corruption units struggle to tackle pervasive corruption that "corrodes the system at every level" with near-total impunity, said O'Neill. To date, only about 400 of the 2,900 troops pledged by various countries have arrived, and just $63 million has been paid into the U.N.'s dedicated trust fund.

(With inputs from agencies.)