According to Marisela Silva Chau, head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Haiti, between 80 and 85% of the territory of Port-au-Prince is currently in the hands of armed groups or gangs.

Regarding the Kenyan-led Multinational Security Support Mission (MMSS), which deployed an initial contingent of 200 troops to Haiti ten months ago after a nine-month delay, it currently has only 970 police and military personnel out of the planned 2,500 due to international funding difficulties. The majority of its members are Kenyan, but countries such as Jamaica, Belize, the Bahamas, El Salvador, and Guatemala have also provided officers.

"Other actors have also emerged, the so-called vigilance brigades, which are self-defense groups made up of members of the population and are attempting to contain the advance of the "Vivre Ensemble" coalition of armed groups," Silva Chau explained during a meeting with journalists in New York. According to the UN, 5,601 people died in 2024 as a result of armed gang violence in Haiti, 2,212 others were injured, and 1,494 were kidnapped, according to figures verified by the UN Human Rights Office https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-44014-haiti-flash-at-least-1-haitian-killed-injured-or-kidnapped-every-hour-in-2024.html

Furthermore, the head of the ICRC in Haiti noted that the number of internally displaced people more than tripled last year, from 300,000 to over a million, due to "the increase in clashes" between the authorities and gangs.

Silva Chau also shared United Nations data indicating a 1,000% increase in sexual violence in Haiti during the same period.

"Urgent action is needed to prevent sexual violence and ensure the safety and treatment of victims. Families and victims themselves need psychological support to overcome these traumatic experiences."

The ICRC has 55 permanent and 16 temporary staff deployed in Haiti, where they have participated in water distribution, sanitation, and tank installation work over the past year. They also serve as mediators with conflicting parties as human rights defenders, among other tasks.

"We are working to ensure the safety of people affected by armed violence and to ensure that they are not deprived of basic services," said Silva Chau, who highlighted the challenges faced by humanitarian workers working in Haiti.

HL/ HaitiLibre