The United Nations(UN) human rights chief announced on Monday that 184 individuals lost their lives over the weekend in the capital of Haiti, which has been affected by a rise in gang violence.
“Just this past weekend, at least 184 people were killed in violence orchestrated by the leader of a powerful gang in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince, in the Cite Soleil area,” Volker Turk told reporters in Geneva. “These latest killings bring the death toll just this year in Haiti to a staggering 5,000 people.”
News Central reports that at least 41,000 people have been displaced due to escalating gang violence and insecurity in Haiti’s capital since November 11.
Save the Children estimates that around 52% of those displaced—over 21,000—are children, many of whom have been forced to move several times over the past two years.
The ongoing violence in Haiti has led to a 70% rise in the number of children enlisted by gangs over the last year, as reported by the UN. A lot of these children have been coerced into joining gangs, while some have done so out of a need for survival.
The violence in the capital has intensified after the dismissal and replacement of Haiti’s interim prime minister, amid political disputes and corruption claims involving members of a transitional council set up to reestablish democratic governance. The UN estimates that gangs currently hold control over 85% of the city.
