Haiti: UN Security Council weighs gang violence as December vote date wobbles
More than 1,100 killed in three months, and the anti-gang force has barely a quarter of its target strength. The US embassy reports heavy fighting in Croix-des-Bouquets.
Archive image · Photo: U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist James G. Pinsky / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain (cropped and resized)
The UN Security Council scheduled a briefing and consultations on Haiti for Monday. According to the latest report of the UN mission BINUH, 1,123 people were killed and 440 injured between July 15 and October 12, including 659 gang members killed. Security operations accounted for 52 percent of recorded casualties. More than 17,000 people were displaced in the West and Artibonite departments.
The Council-authorised Gang Suppression Force (GSF) had only 1,563 of a planned 5,500 uniformed personnel in the country as of October 12, Security Council Report said. Its mandate has been extended to March 31, 2027. The first round of elections set for December 13 is uncertain: the electoral council postponed the campaign and no new calendar has been published. Haiti has not held elections since 2016.
The US embassy in Port-au-Prince warned on Monday of “continuous heavy fighting between gangs and security forces” in the Santo area of Croix-des-Bouquets. Roads may be blocked; Haiti is under the highest US travel advisory level.