(Le Floridien) — On Wednesday, Haiti’s National Police condemned the gang violence that has been plaguing the capital, Port-au-Prince. They urged the public to refrain from taking the law into their own hands after a recent incident where a group of people killed 13 suspected gang members who were in police custody. The police have promised to step up their anti-gang operations and are asking citizens to report any unusual activity or unknown individuals in their neighborhoods.
The police spokesperson, Garry Desrosiers, declined to give specifics but confirmed that there had been many casualties this week. He added that the police are mobilized and working to address the problem.
The recent violence in Port-au-Prince has left three police officers injured and has caused people to arm themselves with makeshift weapons to defend their neighborhoods.
The situation has become so dire that the United Nations estimates that gangs now control 80% of Portau-Prince. Despite calls from the Haitian Prime Minister and the new UN special envoy for Haiti, the UN Security Council, the US, and Canada have shown no interest in deploying a foreign force to help.
The UN special envoy for Haiti, María Isabel Salvador, called for the immediate deployment of a specialized international force. She stated that the Haitian people cannot wait, and that action is needed now. Salvador also highlighted the fact that the Haitian National Police is severely understaffed and that more than 11 million people live in Haiti, where an estimated seven major gang coalitions and some 200 affiliated groups operate.