The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) report, "Haiti's Criminal Markets : Mapping Trends in Firearms and Drug Trafficking" published Thursday, March 2nd, 2023 in Vienna (Austria), warns that a recent increase in arms seizures, alongside intelligence and law enforcement reports, suggests that arms trafficking is on the rise.

Volatile situation:

"By providing a rapid assessment of illicit firearms and drug trafficking, this UNODC study aims to shed light on the trafficking flows that enable gangs in Haiti and fuel further violence in an unstable and desperate situation to help inform responses and support for the people of Haiti," said Angela Me, Chief of Research and Trends Analysis at UNODC.

Gang Violence Fuels Cholera :

Gang-related violence in Haiti has reached levels not seen in decades, the United Nations Secretary-General said in his January report to the Security Council https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-38684-haiti-security-homicides-+352-kidnappings-+1047.html , worsening the cholera epidemic, increasing food insecurity, displacing thousands of people and preventing children from going to school.

At the same time, the incidence of killings, kidnappings and displacement is rising across Haiti, which is suffering from the worst humanitarian and human rights emergency in decades. Authorities reported 2,183 homicides and 1,359 kidnappings in 2022, nearly double the number of cases from the previous year.

Porous boundaries :

As the UNODC assessment showed, Haiti remains a transfer country for drugs, mainly cocaine and cannabis entering by boat or plane in public, private and informal ports, as well as on airstrips. clandestine landings.

Moreover, the porosity of Haiti's borders (1,771 kilometers of coastline and a land border of 392 kilometers with the Dominican Republic), seriously tests the capacities of the National Police, customs, border patrols and guards coasts, which are under-resourced and understaffed and are themselves targeted by gangs, the report said.

The Report also provides an overview of international, regional and national responses to date, including efforts to increase support for law enforcement and border management in Haiti.

It also highlights the need for comprehensive approaches, including investments in community policing, criminal justice reform and anti-corruption investigations.

Download the report (English PDF 47 pages) : https://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/toc/Haiti_assessment_UNODC.pdf

HL/ HaitiLibre