Thousands displaced as Haiti’s ‘rapidly deteriorating’ crisis raises alarm
Al Jazeera
Tens of thousands of Haitians flee their homes across the capital Port-au-Prince amid spiralling gang violence.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is “deeply concerned” by the situation in Haiti, as a surge in gang violence has displaced tens of thousands of people and effectively paralysed the capital of Port-au-Prince.
Guterres’s spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters on Monday that the city faces a “rapidly deteriorating security situation”.
“Armed gangs have intensified their attacks on critical infrastructure over the weekend, including on police stations and two penitentiaries,” he said, relaying the secretary general’s concerns.
Haiti has been plagued by widespread gang violence for more than two years, since the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise.
The country’s de facto leader, Prime Minister Ariel Henry, whom Moise chose for the post just days before he was killed, has faced a crisis of legitimacy. Attempts to chart a political transition for Haiti have failed, and armed groups have fought to fill the power vacuum.
