Thursday, the National Episcopal Justice and Peace Commission ["Jistis ak lapè" (JILAP)] of the Roman Catholic Church in Haiti, issued its 53rd report which paints a disturbing report on the security situation in the metropolitan area, a few months before the elections.

For the first two months of 2015, JILAP documented in its report 138 fatal shooting in the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince (January :6 , February : 70).

Between October and December 2014, 252 people killed by firearms were recorded (88.73% assassinations), while the whole of 2014, the Episcopal Commission counted 942,

specified in a press conference, Rovelson Apollon, Observation responsible for JILAP, who wondered "How consider the elections in such a climate of violence ?"

Jocelyne Colas, the National Director of JILAP strongly condemned "the propaganda of the authorities around the improvement of security," when the reality of the figures shows that it is not. She encouraged the authorities to strengthen the police presence in areas at risk, especially in the popular neighborhood of Cité Soleil, Simon Pelé, la Saline and Carrefour .

"Clashes between rival gangs, clearly illustrate an electoral process, which aims to establish a full control of certain areas, in order to develop areas of influence in favor of this or that politician or authority," the report said.

Jocelyn Renord, General Secretary of the JILAP, appealed to political parties and organizations, for they reject violence and sign a pact of non-violence for the next elections.

Furthermore, JILAP recommends the National Police of Haiti (PNH), in its report, to launch disarmament initiatives of armed criminal groups in all neighborhoods of the metropolitan area.

SL/ HaitiLibre