UN decries rising death toll, rights violations

UNITED NATIONS (AP):

The UN human rights office on Saturday expressed concern about rising violence around Haiti’s capital, saying 99 people have been reported killed in recent fighting between rival gangs in the Cite Soleil district alone.

The warning came hours after the UN Security Council unanimously approved a resolution renewing the mandate of a UN office in the troubled Caribbean nation and calling on all countries to stop the transfer of small arms, light weapons and ammunition to anyone there supporting gang violence and criminal activity.

UN humanitarian agencies said they were ready to help embattled communities once it is safe to do so, and Jeremy Laurence, spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Council, laid out those dangers.

“We have so far documented, from January to the end of June, 934 killings, 684 injuries and 680 kidnappings across the capital,” he said Saturday. In addition, “Over a five-day period, from 8-12 July, at least 234 more people were killed or injured in gang-related violence in the Cite Soleil area of the city.”

He said most of the victims “were not directly involved in gangs” but were targeted by them.

Separately, the UN’s humanitarian affairs office reported that 99 of the recent casualties in Cite Soleil were deaths.

Laurence called on gangs to halt the violence, while also urging Haitian authorities to ensure that fundamental human rights are “placed at the front and centre of their responses to the crisis. The fight against impunity and sexual violence, along with the strengthening of human rights monitoring and reporting, must remain a priority”, he said.

The Security Council resolution drafted by the United States and Mexico was approved 15-0 Friday. It demanded an immediate cessation of gang violence and criminal activities – a point stressed by China.

“The heavily armed gangs are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their actions, conducting simultaneous, coordinated and organised attacks in different areas,” Laurence said.

The UN agencies said some gangs even deny access to drinking water and food in order to control the population, aggravating malnutrition.