Haiti

The Security Council today extended the mandate of the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) until 15 July 2023, deciding that its police and corrections unit will include up to 42 civilian and seconded personnel serving as advisers, and that its human rights unit will include dedicated capacity to address sexual and gender-based violence.

The UN Security Council on Friday unanimously threatened targeted sanctions against criminal gangs and human rights abusers in Haiti and called on countries to stop the flow of guns to the strife-torn Caribbean country.

At least 89 people have been killed in a week in clashes between gangs in Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital, where prices are soaring and fuel shortages are getting worse, threatening crucial humanitarian aid for residents.

Political deadlock and surging gang violence persist as Haiti marks one year since President Jovenel Moise’s killing.

Amid the rapidly deteriorating security situation in Haiti, discussions about the country’s future governance remain deadlocked, UN Special Representative Helen La Lime said in a briefing to the Security Council on Thursday.

A surge in violence fuelled by heavily armed gangs in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, prompted the UN rights chief on Tuesday to express her deep concern over its severe impact on human rights across the Caribbean nation.

The United States has charged a former Haitian senator in relation to the assassination of the country’s President Jovenel Moise in July last year, the Justice Department announced.

Clashes in Haiti between rival gangs in the capital, Port-au-Prince, have forced hundreds of people to flee their homes, the UN Deputy Spokesperson said on Tuesday.

Worsening violence in parts of the Haitian capital has renewed fears of a loss of access to the northern part of the country. The violence comes as local gangs fight for power.

[…] The security situation in Haiti has been deteriorating for months, with gangs exerting influence far beyond the poor neighborhoods of Port-au-Prince. The Caribbean nation is also facing an increase in kidnappings: between five and 10 people are abducted every day in Haiti, according to Haitian human rights organizations.