(MENAFN) The United Nations has demanded an international military presence in Haiti, arguing that this is necessary to uphold law and order and rein in the country's widespread gang violence. Since President Jovenel Moise was assassinated in 2021, there has been much turmoil in the nation, along with a sharp increase in violent crime.
Speaking to the United Nation Security Council on Tuesday, Helen La Lime, the United Nation's special envoy to Haiti, expressed concern that gang-related violence has "reached levels not seen in decades," adding that despite Haiti's recent progress, those gains "remain fragile and vulnerable to being reversed" without outside assistance.
She also mentioned that “Haitians overwhelmingly want this assistance so they can go about their daily lives in peace. The population is living in fear and are all too conscious of the limitations of the police force.”
In his initial security mission proposal from last October, Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry called for "the immediate deployment of a specialized armed force" to combat "armed gangs." At the period, criminal organizations assisted in organizing rambunctious demonstrations that effectively blocked down some of Haiti's important ports and caused shortages of essential supplies like fuel and water. Later, United Nation Secretary General Antonio Guterres reiterated the government's plea, but it seems that no one listened.
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