UN warns Haiti gang violence spreading, urges speedy deployment of Kenyan-led security forces
Interior CS Kindiki said a pre-deployment mission had been conducted to assess the ground reality, with measures in place to ensure the safety of the officers.
A new United Nations report has warned of a shocking rise in gang violence in Haiti as criminal gangs forge alliances and expand to rural areas previously considered safe.
The report has cited a sharp rise in killing, raping, kidnapping, and destroying property, among other abuses.
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The report, released by the UN Human Rights Office and the UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), calls for the urgent deployment of the Multinational Security Support mission led by Kenyan Police authorised by the UN Security Council in October.
Earlier this month Kenyan Members of Parliament approved the deployment of 1,000 police officers to to combat gang violence in the Caribbean country.
Kenya's cabinet led by President William Ruto last month "ratified" the deployment and submitted the resolution to parliament for approval.
Deployment costs
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki revealed before a joint sitting of the National Assembly and Senate Committees on National Security, Defence, and Foreign Relations that the deployment of the officers to Haiti would amount to Sh36.5 billion.
Kenyan Members of Parliament have approved the deployment of 1,000 police officers to Haiti. (Photo: X/Courtesy)
The allocated funds will cover various aspects, including training, administrative support, weapons, ammunition, anti-riot equipment, transport, technical equipment, and general supplies.
Kindiki emphasised that the financial resources for the mission would be sourced from UN member states.
He assured MPs that the deployment would only occur once all necessary equipment was in place in Haiti, guaranteeing the safety and preparedness of the Kenyan officers.
Addressing concerns about the security situation in Haiti, Kindiki said a pre-deployment mission had been conducted to assess the ground reality, with measures in place to ensure the safety of the officers.
Members of Haitian National Police (PNH) lead a convoy of cars carrying members of a Kenyan delegation as they leave the premises of the police after meeting with the Chief of the PNH Frantz Elbe, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti on 21 August 2023. (Photo: Reuters/Ralph Tedy Erol)
Additionally, Inspector General of Police Japhet Koome confirmed that a thorough selection process had been carried out to identify the officers eligible for deployment to Haiti, including medical examinations and other suitability tests. He expressed confidence in the readiness of the officers for the upcoming mission.
In September, the US and Kenya signed a defense agreement that will see the East African nation get resources and support for security deployments ahead of the deployment.
Increased efforts
The UN report released on Tuesday said increased efforts will need to be deployed to strengthen Haiti’s rule of law institutions, in particular the police, the judiciary, and the prison system.
The report focuses on the Bas-Artibonite district, located in Central Haiti, about 100 kilometres from the capital Port-au-Prince, which has seen a significant rise in gang violence in the last two years.
Between January 2022 and October 2023, at least 1,694 people were killed, injured, or kidnapped in Bas-Artibonite.
Kidnapping for ransom by criminal groups has become a constant fear for users of public transport across Bas-Artibonite, the report states.
Executions
The report documents criminal groups rampaging through “rival” villages, executing local people and using sexual violence against women and even very young children.
The groups also loot farmers’ properties, crops and livestock and destroy irrigation canals, contributing to the displacement of more than 22,000 people from their villages and significantly reducing the amount of cultivated land, heightening food insecurity.
The World Food Programme (WFP) is assisting residents of Bas-Artibonite, Haiti, with food, including rice and peas purchased from local producers. (Photo: WFP)
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk warned that across Haiti, at least 3,960 people have been killed, 1,432 injured and 2,951 kidnapped in gang-related violence this year alone.
“The situation in Haiti is cataclysmic. We are continuing to receive reports of killings, sexual violence, displacement and other violence – including in hospitals,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said.
“With terrible violence against the population expanding – within and outside Port-au-Prince – and the inability of the police to stop them, the much-needed Multinational Security Support mission needs to be deployed to Haiti as soon as possible.”
The High Commissioner stressed that the support mission must include internal oversight mechanisms and other safeguards to ensure its compliance with international human rights norms and standards.
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