Haiti Facing 'Absolute Brutal Violence' as Many Eagerly Await the Deployment of Multi-National Security Force

GENEVA – The Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Haiti, Ulrika Richardson, on Friday said that as Haiti faces a situation of “absolute brutal violence”, the deployment of a multi-national security support mission is awaited with hope.

Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Haiti, Ulrika Richardson, speaking to reporters on Friday (UN Photo)Richardson, who is also the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, told journalists here that an estimated 5.2 million Haitians need humanitarian assistance and over 4.3 million face acute food insecurity.

The UN official said that this is a staggering two out of five people in a country which used to be self-sufficient in terms of food production.

She said , frustratingly, the UN’s humanitarian response plan for the country is only 33 per cent funded as the year draws to a close.

Criminal gangs are in control of 80 per cent of the capital Port-au-Prince and the violence has been spreading to the neighbouring Artibonite department, regarded as Haiti’s breadbasket.

Richardson said overall, there are some 300 armed gangs in the country and so far this year, the country has already seen 8,000 killings, lynchings, kidnappings and cases of brutal rape.

Country awaits support mission

The UN official stressed that most Haitians openly welcomed the expression of solidarity with their country in the form of Security Council resolution 2699 adopted last October to deploy a multinational security support mission to shore up Haiti’s National Police.

The are eagerly awaiting its arrival.

The timing depended on a pending HighCourt approval for the mission in Kenya, which had taken the lead and pledged 1,000 police officers to the new mission.

Through a statement from his spokesperson, UN chief António Guterres said on Thursday that he looked forward to continued preparations for the deployment of the “urgently needed” mission and expressed concern over the “limited progress” in the inter-Haitian dialogue to restore the country’s democratic institutions.