The United Nations Office for Human Rights denounced the violence suffered by the population in Haiti by armed gangs and its impact on human rights, according to UN reports.
For her part, Ruavina Shamdasani, a spokeswoman for the office, expressed her sorrow over the killing of a local official, his wife and child, two days ago, by gunfire in their home in the capital of Haiti at the hands of armed gang members, pointing out that hours before that incident, five men and two women from the same family were burned alive when The Grand Raven gang set their house on fire.
A spokeswoman for the Human Rights Office stated that some neighborhoods have been targeted by the Grand Ravine gang since July 25, and that the violence intensified between August 11 and August 15, as gang members killed or injured about 28 people, looted or set fire to at least 50 homes, and an officer was killed. Police linked to self-defense groups.
Shamdasani indicated that specialized police units were deployed on Tuesday and the gang was forced out of the area. However, she stated that the situation is still not safe as the police withdrew later and gangs are active in the surrounding areas.
About 5,000 people have fled a number of neighborhoods in the capital since the end of last week, often moving to live under difficult conditions in which they are not safe from attacks.
According to the United Nations report, the neighborhoods of the capital, Port-au-Prince, have witnessed an escalation in violence in recent weeks, as gangs compete to move to new areas, while strengthening their control over the areas under their control.
More than 2,400 people have been killed and 902 injured since the beginning of the year until the middle of this month, and 951 people have been kidnapped.
For his part, Volker Türk called on the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to act urgently to respond to the call of the United Nations Secretary-General regarding the formation of a non-international multinational force to support the Haitian police in dealing with the dangerous security situation and restore the rule of law, with full compliance with human rights standards and rules.
The Human Rights Office stressed the need to protect the rights of the Haitian people and alleviate their suffering.
Source: Follow-up