Translated by Alessandra Fumagalli
The political and sanitarian crisis in Haiti continues, while the Government is totally under the control of the criminal armed gangs that, at the end of 2022, acquired more powers, making several violences against a population that called out for an intervention from the United Nations. From the very beginning of the year, an escalation has happened, indeed some NGOs (included also Doctors Without Borders) who were supporting the country, had to interrupt their activities. From March, different hospitals closed due to the growing gunfights among the locals gangs that involved also the sanitaria staff and the patients themselves. But finally, it seems that an answer from the international community arrived.
Prior events
Before telling about the recent developments, it is necessary to step backward and, more precisely, to 2021, the year of the murder of the president Jovenel Moïse; after the murder, the government was given to the Prime Minister Ariel Henry, whose mandate, however, lacks constitutional approval by the Parliament. According to the surveys of the World Report 2023 of the Human Rights Watch (HRW), there are about 92 the gangs that, little by little, have begun to take possession to the strategic areas of the cities, and in September 2022 they blocked the main fuel terminal in Port-au-Prince, the capital of the country and the area, that is the most subjected to shootings and acts of violences. The crisis has been caused firstly, by the lack of fuel, that has consequently caused damages in schools and structures that deal with the main sanitarian services, creating meanwhile problems with the transports of essential survival goods.
Moreover, in October 2022, after three years from the last great wave, the first cases of cholera have been noted; the reduced access to drinkable water, that have affected more than a third of the population, has created fertile ground for the spread of the disease, forcing the officers of Doctors Without Order to hospitalize more that 19 thousands people.
With an almost absent state in reacting to a situation that is increasingly degenerating, the criminality seems to be out of control. Mass rapes, sexual violences of every genre, and kidnapping are some of the acts that the armed gangs make. In order to draw attention to the United Nations (and in general to every interested government), in order to act as rapidly as possible, the HRW’s report revealed the murders’ details: execution with firearms, burned bodies and machete attacks.
The International Community’s alarm
In August arrived the first answer from the United Nations when, with more than 2400 deaths recorded in Haiti since the begging of 2023, the UN Office Rights spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani launched a security alarm. When she was doing it, she underlined that more than 350 victims would have been killed through lynchings by locals and vigilants.
Also Unicef has made its voice head, focusing in particular on the evacuation of entire families caused by the increasing violences in the areas of Carrefour-Feuilles e Savanes Pistaches, and that obliged more than 19,000 people to flee. According to the organization’s esteems, in September 2022 there were around 200,00 dispersed people in the country, and the Haitian population that had to daily deal with armed groups that were in search of new areas to enslaved. The Unicef’s response passed though the creation of mobile clinics to fights against sanitarian risks, and the supply of water’s kit and hygienic services. In these contexts, where chaos, tension and fear reigned, a particular focus goes to the children, which are often silent victims; there are more than 3 billion children that will need humanitarian support, due to an high malnutrition and the rebirth of cholera.
Haiti was the poorest and the least developed country of the Western Hemisphere before the crisis, the situation, due to the nowadays situation, will worsen.
The UN’s authorized mission
After one year of aid’s request to fight against the armed gangs, the resolution of the UN Security Council came and it authorized a foreign security mission in Haiti. In particular, the resolution will star the Multinational Security Support (the official name of the mission) that was drafted by Ecuador and United States and, as the legislative iter establishes, it obtained the majority within the 15 members. There were only two abstentions, because China and Russia were uncertain towards the generalized use of the force according to the Chapter 7 of the UN Founding charter.
China encourages the extension of the embargo of the arms (previously it was accepted only for specific individuals) also to the criminal gangs, as a response of the Haitian officers’ affirmations, that think that the arms used by the groups are imported by the United States. “That is a very important situation. If the Council had taken this step earlier, the security situation in Haiti might not have deteriorate to the levels it is today”, affirmed the UN Chinese ambassador Zhang Jun after the vote.
On of the main reasons why the community’s response was late were the difficulties linked to the possible leader of the mission; Kenya proposed in July, proving 1,000 police officers. The effort was supported also by Bahamas (150 officers) and also Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda wanted to support the mission. It is important also to underline that, even though it ws approved by the Security Council, the mission its a UN’s operation; the International organization, in particular, has asked to the countries that will take part into the mission an adequate management of the waste water, and to make other environmental controls to avoid the spread of illnesses.
As far as the timings are concerned, it is not clear how long it will take before the forced are effectively deployed so far. “Today’s vote is only the first step. Now it begins the work to get the mission off the ground”, declared in a note the UN United States ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield.
Meanwhile, the apprehension towards the non-elected government of the prime minister Ariel Henry grows, who affirmed that, at the moment, it is not possible to hold fair elections in the country. The Security Council underlines the necessity for Haiti to make concrete steps soaking of electoral processes, which have to be transparent, inclusive and reliable.
Mondo Internazionale APS - Riproduzione Riservata ® 2023
Consulted sources:
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-91hhrg38044/pdf/CHRG-91hhrg38044.pdf
https://www.hrw.org/report/2023/08/14/living-nightmare/haiti-needs-urgent-rights-based-response-escalating-crisis Report Human Rights Watch
https://www.unicef.it/media/violenze-ad-haiti-circa-200-000-persone-la-meta-bambini-sono-sfollate/
