Maria Isabel Salvador warned on Monday that “Haiti could face total chaos” without increased funding and support for the operation of the Kenya-led multinational force helping Haiti’s police to tackle the gangs’ expanding violence into areas beyond the capital, Port-Au-Prince.
Most recently, she said, gangs seized the city of Mirebalais in central Haiti, and during the attack, over 500 prisoners were freed.
A displaced woman rests at a school that is now operating as a shelter for those fleeing their homes to escape gang violence in Port-au-Prince (Odelyn Joseph/AP)
It was the fifth prison break in under a year, “part of a deliberate effort to entrench dominance, dismantle institutions and instil fear”.
Haiti’s police, supported by the armed forces and the Kenya-led force, were overwhelmed by the scale and duration of the violence, the UN special representative said..
The gangs have grown in power since the July 7 2021, assassination of president Jovenel Moise and are now estimated to control 85% of the capital and are moving into surrounding areas.
Haiti has not had a president since then.
The UN-backed mission led by Kenyan police arrived in Haiti last year to help local authorities quell gang violence.
The mission remains understaffed and underfunded, with only about 40% of the 2,500 personnel originally envisioned.
Ms Salvador said that in February and March alon...
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