As gang violence rages, UN expert says Haiti now needs 5,000 foreign police

New report says the number of victims of gang violence has surged, calls for rapid deployment of UN-backed international security force.

Haiti needs up to 5,000 international police to tackle “catastrophic” gang violence that has killed more than 1,500 people in the first three months of this year alone, including many children, according to a United Nations expert.

The comments by William O’Neill on Mar 28 (Thursday) came as he presented a new report by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) calling for “immediate and bold action” to tackle the “cataclysmic” situation in the country.

Haiti has faced years of political turmoil and violence but instability increased following the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise. The subsequent power vacuum boosted the influence of the dozens of armed gangs operating in the country, including powerful groups that control most of the capital, Port-au-Prince.

Unrest intensified in February when heavily armed rivals led by former policeman Jimmy “Barbecue” Cherizier joined forces and unleashed waves of attacks in a bid to remove unelected Prime Minister Ariel Henry. Currently locked out of Haiti, Henry has promised to resign amid the pressure but the violence targeting hospitals, banks and other critical institutions has continued unabated amid a deepening hunger and displacement crisis.

The OHCHR report said the number of victims of gang violence surged last year, with 4,451 people killed and 1,668 wounded. Hundreds of people were lynched, with many others stoned or burned alive by the so-called “self-defence brigades”.