The United Nations has ordered the evacuation of its staff from Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince as clashes between armed gangs, police and armed civilians have intensified in recent days.
A United Nations helicopter airlifted 14 people at a time from the capital to the northern city of Cap-Haitien on Monday — some of whom were scheduled to fly out of the country. Earlier this month the main international airport in Port-au-Prince was closed due to shootings at commercial flights as they were landing and taking off.
Diplomatic and security sources told Al Jazeera that the airlift also included foreign embassies and other relief agencies.
A United States Air Force C-130 plane landed at the airport of the capital Port-au-Prince on Sunday to carry American diplomats who had been ordered to leave the US embassy, US Southern Command said.
Most foreign embassies are now effectively closed, with staff restricted to a few senior officials and security details.
In a statement, the UN said it was “adapting its operations”, with some staff moving to safer parts of the country and others leaving Haiti but continuing to work remotely.
“The United Nations is not abandoning Haiti. Our commitment to the Haitian people is unwavering, Stéphane Dujarric, a spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, said in a statement.
“We are temporarily reducing our presence in the capital,” he said. “Critical humanitarian programs continue in Port-au-Prince, as well as support for the Haitian people and authorities.”
Doctors Without Borders, known by its French initials MSF, also announced late last week that it was suspending critical care in Port-au-Prince after it attacked police to protect its staff and patients. Accused of targeting including rape and death threats.
“Every day that we are not able to resume activities is a tragedy, because we are one of the few providers of a wide range of medical services in this extremely difficult situation,” said Christophe Garnier, MSF mission director in Haiti. “Are still open during the year.”
Food for the Poor (FFTP), which runs food programs in Haiti, said it is no longer able to make regular food distributions due to gang disruptions, including airport closures and access to main ports due to gang disruptions. Is “extremely dangerous”. ,
While police had made “good efforts to respond to the gang’s advances”, Mario Nicolau, director of FFTP Haiti, said he was concerned about access to fuel for food trucks. “There are still lines for fuel at gas stations, but it seems to be getting better. “Firing is still happening every day in many areas and people are still being evacuated from the neighbourhood.”
‘Major operations’ against gangs
The 430-strong UN-backed security mission, consisting mostly of Kenyan police, was sent in June to support Haiti’s understaffed police department, which faced public criticism over its “handling of the current security situation amid an apparent surge”. Defended his role in front. gang activities”
In a message on Sunday, the Multinational Security Support Mission to Haiti (MSS) said “Major operations” were underway in a gang stronghold in the Delmas area of the capital, controlled by Jimmy “Barbeque” Charizier, a notorious gang leader and former policeman. The gang leader later appeared on social media saying that he had “crushed” the police attack and remained largely unharmed.
Recent developments in Haiti have led many Haitians to question the MSS’s role and handling of the current security situation amid an apparent increase in gang activity.
The MSS remains steadfast in its mission to support the Haitian National Police (HNP) in combating gangs… pic.twitter.com/NuL3qWJkpf
– Multinational Security Assistance Mission for Haiti (@MSSMHaiti) 24 November 2024
Lionel Lazare, deputy spokesman for Haiti’s national police, did not return messages seeking comment.
According to a confidential UN situation report obtained by Al Jazeera, the UN estimates that at least 220 people, including 115 gang members, were killed between 11 and 19 November in more than a dozen coordinated attacks aimed at the government. Had to be forced to resign.
According to the International Organization for Migration, an estimated 20,000 people were forced to flee their homes in the second week of November alone. Overall, more than 4,500 people have been reported killed in Haiti so far this year, the United Nations says. Another 700,000 people have been displaced by last year’s violence.
children recruited
An unprecedented number of children have been recruited by gangs in Haiti, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Monday, underscoring the worsening security crisis in the violence-plagued Caribbean island.
one in reportUNICEF said recruitment of minors increased by 70 percent last year.
uncertain future
The Haitian government, supported by the US and other Caribbean countries, is asking the UN Security Council to authorize a full-scale peacekeeping operation in Haiti. They argue that the Kenyan-led MSS lacks the equipment and numbers to bring about change, and is well short of the 2,500 personnel originally envisioned for the mission.
“This is not just another wave of insecurity; This is a dramatic increase that shows no signs of slowing down, Miroslav Genka, UN assistant secretary-general for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas, told a UN Security Council meeting last week to discuss a peacekeeping resolution.
But Russia and China oppose the UN peacekeeping mission, accusing the US of not listening to Haitian civil society and saying efforts should focus on strengthening Haitian police.
