Rising Displacement, Criminal Gangs and Corruption Continue to Plague Haitian Life, Slowing Democratic Reform, Speakers Tell Security Council
Criminal gangs continue to sow violence and terror in Haiti, where more than 700,000 are now internally displaced, a senior United Nations official told the Security Council today, calling for Member States’ support for the still under-resourced Multinational Security Support Mission, which was authorized by the 15-member body in October 2023 to assist the Haitian National Police in restoring law and order in the strife-torn Caribbean nation.
“The security situation remains extremely fragile, with renewed peaks of acute violence,” underscored María Isabel Salvador, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), noting that, since her last briefing to the Council in July, “the situation in Haiti has regrettably worsened”. Haitians continue to suffer across the country as criminal gang activities escalate and expand beyond Port-au-Prince, spreading terror and fear, committing murders, kidnappings and sexual violence of unprecedented brutality in the affected regions, she said.
The 3 October brutal gang attack in Port Sondé in the Artibonite Department, which left 115 civilians dead, has further exacerbated the humanitarian crisis, which has seen a 22 per cent increase in the number of internally displaced persons in the last three months, she said. Since their first deployment in June, the Kenyan contingent of the Support Mission has been joined by counterparts from the Bahamas, Belize and Jamaica. Around 430 personnel are deployed, “yet it is far from enough”, she stressed. The Support Mission remains critically under-resourced, which could impact deployment and impede it from carrying out its tasks in support of the Haitian National Police, she warned, urging support for the Haitian security apparatus and funding of the Support Mission.
On the political front, she reported that, on 7 October, Leslie Voltaire succeeded Edgard Leblanc as President of the Transitional Presidential Council, in a modified order of the pro-tempore presidency of the Transitional Presidential Council, amidst corruption allegations against three of its members. BINUH is working to strengthen collaboration within the two-headed executive and urging them to focus on addressing insecurity, governance reforms and electoral preparations.
The 18 October nomination and installation of seven of the nine members of the Provisional Electoral Council in their functions is a first step in the right direction, she said, urging the remaining sectors to nominate their representatives promptly, ensuring that women and human rights sectors are included in the process. “To guarantee inclusive, credible and participatory elections […] a steadfast commitment of all stakeholders to revitalizing the national consensus and placing national interests above their own is of the essence,” she stressed.
Briefing the Council via video-conference was Catherine Russell, designated Principal Advocate on Haiti for the Inter-Agency Standing Committee and Executive Director of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), who said that armed groups are regularly committing grave rights violations against children in Haiti. So far this year, there has been a staggering increase in reported incidents of sexual violence against women and children. Armed groups are also actively recruiting and using children in their operations. It is estimated that children account for 30 to 50 per cent of armed group members, she said, used as informants, cooks, and sex slaves, and forced to perpetrate armed violence themselves. She called on Council members to use their leverage with State actors and armed groups to protect human rights. Noting that the humanitarian response plan for Haiti remains just 42 per cent funded for 2024, she also called on them to significantly increase flexible humanitarian funding, as well as improve protection support to humanitarian actors on the ground. Moreover, complementary investments in basic social services, and development assistance to support recovery and resilience-building, must be scaled up, she added.
“Gang rape is used as a weapon and the bodies of women and girls are battlefields,” declared Rosy Auguste Ducéna, Programme Manager, Haiti’s National Human Rights Defence Network. Pointing to rampant corruption among high-ranking officials and staff who are siphoning off money from Haiti’s public coffers, she said impunity for financial and general crimes has allowed the circulation of weapons in Haiti and ongoing gang violence. She called on the Council to apply to the fullest extent the arms embargo and asset freeze on those sanctioned and demand that Member States scrupulously respect those sanctions. She further called on them to appeal to Haitian authorities to adopt appropriate measures to protect women and girls from sexual assault.
In the ensuing debate, representatives of Council members and countries concerned voiced alarm about ongoing gang violence and underscored the need to establish a strong security foundation in the country. Speakers also underscored the vital role of the Support Mission to that end, as the nation seeks to restore its democratic institutions.
The United States’ delegate, co-penholder of the Haitian file, with Ecuador, welcomed that Haitian leaders put aside their differences to work towards putting Haiti on the path to free and fair elections and advancing national priorities established by the Transitional Presidential Council. “Now is not the time for political infighting. Now is the time for Haitian national unity in the international fight against gangs,” she stressed.
The United Kingdom’s representative, voicing shock and alarm over the barbarity and human rights abuses committed by gangs, welcomed renewal of the mandate of the Support Mission, including deployment of personnel from Kenya, Jamaica and Belize as well as pledged contributions from other nations. The Mission remains vital to support Haitian efforts to resolve instability, she said, highlighting her country’s $6 million pledge to support it through strengthening its human rights compliance framework.
The representative of Guyana, also speaking for Algeria, Mozambique and Sierra Leone, said the scale and brutality of the 3 October attacks in Pont Sonde demonstrate the security crisis’ severity and urgent need for full deployment of the Support Mission. She called for greater solidarity and cooperation from Member States to address the resource gap impeding the Mission’s full deployment.
Answering that call, the representative of Japan said his country has provided $14 million to the Support Mission, which includes equipment for the Haitian National Police and improving its academy, appealing to the international community to provide additional assistance. Similarly, the speaker for France spotlighted his country’s €2 million contribution to the UN Trust Fund, as well as its efforts to secure European Union funding.
The Republic of Korea’s delegate was among several speakers underscoring the need to effectively implement sanctions measures adopted by the Council, particularly the arms embargo, to improve the dire security situation. Regional countries and organizations have a role to play in preventing the surge in trafficking of arms to these gangs, he said. His country is undergoing the “necessary internal procedure” to extend support to the Support Mission, he added.
The Russian Federation’s delegate pointed to the “clear picture” put forth by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) report and the Panel of Experts of the sources and routes of supply of weapons used by gangs. All the small arms in their arsenal were North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)-standard, and the main smuggling route appeared to be Florida, from which shipments flowed unimpeded and uninspected. The United States is ignoring the request to trace the chain of illegal supply, he said, calling for those responsible to be brought to account, including through sanctions.
The representative of Ecuador called for free, transparent elections to be held, in line with the agreement reached at the 11 March meeting convened by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), to create a Government free from corruption and impunity, which ensures the rule of law, underlining BINUH’s role in ensuring inclusive dialogue in the transition process. He also underscored UNODC’s role in implementing measures to combat illicit financial flows and arms trafficking, which fuels transnational organized crime and perverse human exploitation.
Malta’s delegate voiced alarm about the dire humanitarian situation, due to rising food insecurity and diminished food production, with the escalation of gang activity in Artibonite forcing farmers to abandon their land, as well as a soaring number of internally displaced people, among other concerns. In that context, she called on humanitarian efforts to be scaled up and intensified, pointing out that Haiti’s Humanitarian Response Plan is drastically underfunded.
Slovenia’s representative expressed alarm over the increased forced recruitment and exploitation of children by gangs. Urgent action is required to protect their rights and safety and, for those who have been recruited by gangs, to ensure their safe handover to civilian actors for reintegration into society and the opportunity for peaceful childhoods, she said.
China’s representative underlined that the international community’s strong efforts to support the country have thus far yielded few results. The chances of Haiti overcoming its predicaments are slim without addressing the root causes, he stressed, calling on Haitian authorities and factions to assume their responsibilities and put the interests of the country first. Considering other options would interfere with the advancement of the Support Mission’s mandate, he said, urging Member States to help implement the stricter arms embargo, in line with Council resolution 2752 (2024).
For her part, Switzerland’s delegate, Council President for October, speaking in her national capacity, underlined the need to consolidate the country’s resilience in the face of natural disasters, pointing out that Haiti is “highly exposed to natural hazards that threaten existing vulnerabilities”. Urging increased investments in resilience, she noted that Switzerland is working with local players and Haitian institutions on risk reduction measures in the southern department.
The representative of Haiti, addressing the “massive deportation of Haitians by the Dominican Republic”, said such practices violate fundamental rights and must be in line with the basic principles of international law. Turning to the situation in his country, he said Haitian security forces continue to face difficulties in maintaining control of contested areas due to lack of human and material resources, echoing calls for urgent financial support. Recalling the letter of the President of the Transitional Presidential Council to the Secretary-General, he urged Council members to look favorably on the request therein to transform the Support Mission to a peacekeeping mission.
Roberto Álvarez Gil, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Dominican Republic, voicing concern that violence generated by organized crime in Haiti could spill over into his country, said: “The Dominican Government cannot accept the foolish call to stop repatriations, as this would be the equivalent of declaring an open border, encouraging more irregular migration to the country.” While elections are necessary to ensure Haiti’s stability, order must first be restored. BINUH must remain an essential pillar to support the transitional Government, the Support Mission and organization of the indispensable electoral process, he emphasized.
“A surge in the MSS (Multinational Security Support Mission) personnel deployment is urgently needed,” said the representative of Kenya, noting that his country is working to fulfil its pledge of 1,000 police officers. Nonetheless, while the Support Mission is a critical and innovative intervention, it is only part of the solution, he said, stressing that Haiti’s stability will only be accomplished through a multi-pronged approach that addresses the root causes of the challenges.