The latest human-rights report documents mass violence by gangs, civilian harm during security operations and a sharp rise in kidnappings
PORT-AU-PRINCE — NetNewsLedger International News Service- At least 1,167 people were killed and 459 injured in Haiti between July and September, according to a new United Nations report showing that violence continues to spread beyond established gang strongholds.
The UN Integrated Office in Haiti said serious abuses were recorded across metropolitan Port-au-Prince and in the Artibonite and South-East departments. Some massacres occurred in communities that had previously escaped the worst violence.
Gang members were responsible for more than 45% of the people killed or injured during the quarter. At the same time, more than half of all casualties occurred during ground or aerial security operations against gangs, sometimes involving a private military company using drones. More than 16% of the people harmed in those operations had no identified gang connection.
Investigators also documented 44 extrajudicial executions or attempted executions involving Haitian police, compared with 14 in the previous quarter. The UN said alleged violations must be investigated and that anti-gang operations must comply with international human-rights law.
Kidnappings for ransom rose from 81 in the second quarter to at least 137 in the third. Children accounted for 10% of those abducted.
The report recorded 344 victims of sexual violence committed by gang members. Victims ranged from eight to 75 years old, and 77% of the documented cases involved gang rape. In August, at least 32 boys between 14 and 16 who had been forcibly recruited by a gang were killed during exchanges of fire with security forces in Gressier.
The UN urged stronger protection for civilians, accelerated deployment of the internationally backed Gang Suppression Force and tighter action against illegal weapons flows into Haiti.
Sources: UN Integrated Office in Haiti
