United Nations statistics underscore 'extreme brutality' of Haiti's gangs

[Judi Lynn]

In a press briefing, the UN tallied 2,439 deaths since January, with 5,000 people displaced since last weekend.



Residents of the neighbourhood Carrefour Feuilles gather outside a military base demanding help after they had to flee their homes when gangs took over, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti August 16, 2023. The crowd can be seen raising their hands in protest outside a metal gate.
Residents of the Carrefour-Feuilles neighbourhood in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, call for assistance outside a military base after fleeing violence [Ralph Tedy Erol/Reuters]


Published On 19 Aug 2023
19 Aug 2023

The United Nations has decried the “extreme brutality” unfolding in Haiti, releasing new statistics that sketch out the scope of the country’s ongoing violence.

An estimated 2,439 people have died between January and August 15 of this year, according to a press briefing released Friday.

A further 902 people have been injured, and 951 kidnapped, as the Caribbean country contends with widespread gang violence and vigilantism. The violence stems from a combination of factors, including political and economic instability.

The Haitian government has long contended with systemic corruption, and in 2021, gunmen entered the residence of President Jovenel Moise and shot him to death. Prosecutors in the United States have since tied the assassination to a plot to supplant Moise with a figure more sympathetic to the suspects’ political and business interests.

More:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/8/19/united-nations-statistics-underscore-extreme-brutality-of-haitis-gangs