UNITED NATIONS, US
The top UN envoy for Haiti on Thursday called on all stakeholders in the country to prepare for the deployment of the UN-authorized, Kenyan-led multinational police force.
Haiti remains plagued by a
mounting scale of violence due to an unprecedented surge in kidnappings, rape
and other crimes committed by armed gangs that increasingly affect the
livelihoods of people and undermine humanitarian activities, said Maria Isabel
Salvador, the UN secretary-general's special representative for Haiti.
"I cannot overstress the
severity of the situation in Haiti, where multiple protracted crises have
reached a critical point," she told the Security Council in a briefing.
Last year, the UN Integrated
Office in Haiti (BINUH) documented more than 8,400 direct victims of gang
violence, including people killed, injured and kidnapped, an increase of 122
percent over the previous year, she said.
The capital of Port-au-Prince
accounted for 83 percent of killings and injuries, and violence also spread to
other areas, specifically to Artibonite. South of the capital, gangs conducted
large-scale attacks to control key zones and continue to systematically employ
sexual violence in their areas of control, putting women and girls as young as
12 at risk, she said.
BINUH has continued working
toward enhancing the capacity of the Haitian National Police (HNP) with a
special focus on intelligence-led performance and training. High attrition
rates, however, have continued, further diminishing the HNP's ability to counter
gang violence and maintain security, said Salvador, who also heads BINUH.
She asked all Haitian
stakeholders to effectively prepare for the deployment of the multinational
police force and to create the necessary coordination mechanisms for its
success. She asked UN member states to contribute generously to ensure the
timely deployment of the police force in Haiti.
While improvement to the
security situation is essential to break the cycle of crises in Haiti,
long-term stability can only be achieved through a nationally owned and
inclusive political process, she said. "I call on stakeholders from across
the spectrum to engage peacefully and constructively in the political
process."
The continuous support to the
Haitian National Police, the rapid deployment of the multinational force,
effective sanctions, and a sustained political process constitute fundamental
elements to restore security and stability in Haiti, where, consequently, the
rule of law, democratic institutions, and sustainable development become a
reality for its people, said Salvador.
No comments:
Post a Comment