Politics
Serious human rights violations continue in Haiti, where more than 1,000 people were killed between July and September this year
Serious human rights violations continue in Haiti, where more than 1,000 people were killed between July and September this year in violence involving criminal armed groups and operations against them. Carlos Ruiz Massieu, head of the United Nations office in Haiti, said the killings were a reminder of the urgent need to strengthen civilian protection mechanisms and establish state authority in areas reclaimed from armed groups. The UN Security Council has approved the deployment of a specialised force to combat armed groups in Haiti. However, the force has yet to be fully deployed. According to a report by the UN office, at least 1,167 people were killed and 459 injured during the three-month period ending in September. Armed groups were responsible for more than 45 per cent of the incidents, while five per cent involved groups targeting gang members and their alleged accomplices. More than half of the deaths and injuries occurred during ground and aerial operations conducted by security forces against armed groups. These operations were sometimes supported by a private company operating drones.
The report also documented widespread killings during clashes between armed groups seeking to seize control of different areas. In early August, armed groups beheaded at least 19 people in Cité Soleil, including 12 elderly women. Two attacks in the town of Kenscoff in July and August left at least 105 people dead, including 19 children. During the attacks, more than 36 people were shot dead in the courtyard of a church. According to the report, more than 16 per cent of those killed had no affiliation with any armed group. At least four people, including two children, were also killed in attacks involving drones equipped with explosives. The report further documented 44 cases of extrajudicial killings and attempted killings by members of Haiti’s national police, compared with 14 such cases in the previous quarter.
The report said at least 137 people were kidnapped for ransom during the period, compared with 81 between April and June. Children accounted for 10 per cent of those abducted. The UN office also identified 344 victims of sexual violence committed by members of armed groups. The victims ranged in age from eight to 75, while 77 per cent of the reported cases involved gang rape. Armed groups also continued recruiting children for criminal activities and assigning them various tasks. In August, at least 32 boys aged between 14 and 16 were killed during clashes between security forces and armed groups in the Gréssier area. They had reportedly been forcibly recruited into an armed group. The United Nations has urged the international community to maintain its commitment to supporting Haiti and ensure the full deployment of the specialised force tasked with combating armed groups.
