UN: At least 234 dead and injured in Haiti

The United Nations announced that guerrilla warfare in the favelas of Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti, resulted in at least 234 deaths and injuries between 8 and 12 June.

Violence and bloodshed in Haiti, along with high prices and fuel shortages, has hastened the deterioration in the security situation, with aid agencies saying it is impossible to reach many areas due to dangerous conditions.

Momosa Mohindo, MSF’s local mission chief, told AFP that during the escalating violence, his organization operated on an average of 15 patients per day: “It was a real battlefield, the death toll is uncountable.” he said.

And in the Soleil City neighborhood, there were clashes between two rival gangs that the Metropolitan Police, lacking equipment, were unable to stop, resulting in residents unable to leave their homes even for food.

Many people were killed by stray bullets in a crowded area, whose children live in dilapidated houses that could not protect them, and ambulances could not reach the wounded.

“Most of the victims were not directly linked to the gangs, and we also received new reports of sexual violence,” said Jeremy Lawrence, a spokesman for the UN Human Rights Office.

“We are deeply concerned about the escalation of violence in Port-au-Prince and the increase in human rights violations committed by armed gangs against the local population,” Lawrence added earlier this week, calling on the authorities to “ensure that all rights are protected.” and made it a priority.

The National Human Rights Network, a Haitian organization, announced that the number of victims of gang violence was 89 killed and 74 injured, in addition to 16 missing, and in the six months from January to June, the UN Human Rights Office Human Rights Office estimated 934 dead and 684 wounded. Another 680 people were abducted.

The Cite Soleil region is home to an oil refinery that supplies fuel to the capital and the entire north of Haiti, so the clashes have had a devastating impact on the region’s economy and people’s daily lives.

Source: AFP.

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