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UN chief Guterres visits Haiti as gang violence soars
AP News • • general
Key Points:
- U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres visited Haiti amid escalating gang violence that has resulted in over 2,300 deaths, 100 kidnappings, and displaced 1.5 million people this year, with more than 300,000 homeless in Port-au-Prince alone.
- Guterres toured areas devastated by gangs like the Viv Ansanm federation, which controls about 70% of the capital, and met displaced residents living in overcrowded makeshift shelters with minimal resources.
- The visit included a stop at the new U.N.-approved gang-suppression force headquarters, which will work alongside Haiti’s National Police and Armed Forces to combat gangs, with troops from Jamaica, Chad, El Salvador, and Guatemala expected to deploy soon.
- Guterres held talks with Prime Minister Alix Didier-Fils-Aimé, emphasizing security as essential for holding elections and restoring republican governance in the politically unstable country.
- Human Rights Watch urged Guterres to address the root causes of violence and protect civilians, a message reinforced by Guterres’s emotional response to the dire humanitarian conditions he witnessed.
