UN says crime in Haiti has hit record high

The United Nations has sounded a warning that the security situation in Haiti, where violent gangs control swathes of the country, has collapsed even further, with major crimes hitting "record highs".

A report on Haiti from the UN Secretary-General on Monday cited an increase in "indiscriminate killings, kidnappings, rapes and attacks on several urban neighborhoods considered relatively safe until recently."

"The security situation on the ground continues to deteriorate as growing gang violence plunge(s) the lives of the people of Haiti into disarray and major crimes are rising sharply to new record highs," UN envoy Maria Isabel Salvador told the Security Council.

She said she hoped the expected deployment of a multinational intervention force led by Kenya could improve the situation for residents.

"Major crimes, including intentional homicides and kidnappings, surged at unprecedented rates, mostly in the West and Artibonite departments" -- home to the capital Port-au-Prince and the city of Gonaives, the new report said.

The report comes a day before an order made by a Kenyan High Court temporarily suspending a government plan to send police to Haiti elapses.

The UN Security Council has already approved a Kenyan-led multinational security force for the troubled country, with Nairobi promising 1,000 police officers.

The court granted an interim injunction two weeks ago in a case brought by constitutional lawyer Ekuru Aukot, who argued the deployment was unconstitutional as any law or treaty did not back it.

Aukot argued that Kenya was deploying its police abroad at a time when it had failed to quell insecurity within its own borders.

"I am satisfied that the application and petition raise substantial issues of national importance and public interest that require urgent consideration," High Court Judge Enock Mwita ruled.

"A conservatory order is hereby issued restraining the respondents from deploying police officers to Haiti or any other country until 24th October 2023," the ruling said.

Adding to the voices against the deployment of the officers was the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) which last week strongly voiced its concerns over the deployment of Kenya police officers to Haiti.

ODM said the decision made by the Government to lead a Multinational Security Support mission to Haiti was ill-advised, opportunistic, and undermines the spirit of Pan-Africanism.

The Orange Party leader Raila Odinga said the National Police Service is mandated constitutionally to enforce national security and does not possess an external mandate.

ODM also took issue with the current internal security challenges faced in the country citing the cases in Sondu, Lamu, the North Rift and along the Somali border.

"The recommended ratio of police officers via population is one for every 450 citizens. Kenya's ratio is around 1 for every 1,000 citizens. We simply don't have policemen to spare," read the statement signed by ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna.

ODM said Haiti's situation though tragic, doesn't pose any immediate threat to Kenya's national security as the two nations don't even share a border.

"Previous interventions in Haiti have been conducted by some of the most powerful nations on earth, with disastrous results on each occasion," ODM said.

Deployment defence

President William Ruto has defended the deployment as a "mission for humanity."

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki has said the state will ensure it seeks the requisite parliamentary approvals and will not employ "any shortcuts".

"Kenyans should not worry. We still have insecurity issues but we will ensure that the deployment does not compromise the safety of our nation," Kindiki said.

Between July 1 and September 30, the national police reported 1,239 homicides -- compared with 577 during the same period in 2022.

Between July and September, 701 people were kidnapped, 244 per cent more than during the same period in 2022.

The United Nations is also concerned about killings perpetrated by vigilante groups that emerged last spring, "with 388 alleged gang members lynched" from April 24 to September 30, according to the report.

Additional reporting by AFP