Haiti - FLASH : «staggering and worsening level of gang violence», nearly 5,000 Haitians killed in 2023
Tuesday January 23, 2024, Antonio Guterres, after having read a report on the situation in Haiti, said he was "dismayed by the staggering level of gang violence, which continues to worsen and which is destroying the lives of Haitians, in particular in Port-au-Prince. Gang killings, kidnappings and sexual violence, notably against women and young girls, among other abuses, continue with widespread impunity. The rapid spread of gang violence to rural areas previously considered safe, in particular in the Artibonite Department, is further cause for serious alarm."
The West and Artibonite departments remain prey to deep insecurity characterized by indiscriminate violence committed by armed gangs against civilians and attacks targeting police units and infrastructure. In the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area, the influence of the gangs has spread at an alarming rate to previously less affected areas, such as Carrefour-Feuilles, Solino, Bon-Repos, Mariani and Léogâne.
The number of reported homicides increased by 119.4% in 2023 compared to 2022, 4,789 deaths were deplored, of which more than 2,700 were civilians (of whom more than 1,300 were injured) the others were gang members. That is a ratio of 40.9 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants in 2023 compared to a ratio of 18.1 in 2022.
The number of people kidnapped also increased, from 1,359 in 2022 to 2,490 in 2023, an increase of 83%.
The report also mentions the continuation of the popular self-defense movement born in the spring of 2023, with more than 500 people lynched for being accused of supposedly being gang members.
