Haiti Situation is ‘Beyond Untenable’- UN Rights Chief Warns Ahead Kenyan Officers Deployment
Haiti Situation is ‘Beyond Untenable’: The United Nations rights chief has warned that the situation in Haiti has become “beyond untenable”, with 1,193 people killed this year by gang violence.
Volker Turk called for the urgent deployment of a multinational security support mission to the Caribbean country, describing the death toll from the gang violence, which has also left 692 people injured, as “staggering”.
“The reality is that, in the current context, there is no realistic alternative available to protect lives,” he said in a statement, which called for decisive action “to prevent Haiti’s further descent into chaos. We are simply running out of time.”
His statement to the press came as the UN Security Council was preparing to hold an emergency meeting Wednesday on the situation in Haiti, where gangs are threatening a bloody civil war unless absent Prime Minister Ariel Henry steps down.
The armed groups, which control swaths of the country, announced a coordinated effort to oust Ariel last Thursday, with Port-au-Prince’s airport, prisons, police stations and other strategic targets coming under attack since.
The gang leader Jimmy Cherizier warned on Tuesday that the current chaos would lead to civil war and “genocide” unless the prime minister steps down.
Turk pointed to last weekend’s mass prison breakout, which Haitian officials have described as a lethal threat to national security.
More than 4,500 inmates, including prominent gang members, are now known to have escaped, he said.
“This situation is beyond untenable for the people of Haiti,” Turk stated.
He painted a picture of a country where the “health system is on the brink of collapse”, while “hospitals often do not have the capacity to treat those arriving with gunshot wounds”.
Also read Govt Changes Tune, New Mandatory Salary Deductions to Start This Month