United Nations (TDI): With the escalating gang violence pushing Haiti “teetering on the brink”, Pakistan has urged the Haitian leadership to assume its primary responsibility to set the Caribbean nation on a sustainable path of political stability.
“A Haitian-led and Haitian-owned process — one that is broad-based and participatory — is necessary for achieving enduring peace, and security,” Pakistan’s permanent representative to the Un, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmed, told the United Nations Security Council on Monday.
Speaking during a briefing on Haiti, he stated that the factors responsible for the deteriorating situation were a combination of increasing gang violence, the absence of a cohesive strategy, lack of adequate resources, the unchecked flow of illegal arms and deepening political divisions.
“We are very alarmed by reports that armed groups have seized control of large swathes of the capital Port-au-Prince, and are now directly threatening state institutions,” the Pakistani ambassador said, adding that Haiti’s slide into chaos started with the 2021 killing of President Jovenel Moise.
Recent gang attacks have targeted previously unaffected areas like Delmas and Petion-Ville, while the attack on Mirebalais town marked the fifth jail break in less than a year, according to the United Nations.
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“The intensifying demonstrations and the rise of organized vigilante gangs, who are openly demanding the overthrow of the interim government are a matter of serious concern,” Ambassador Asim said.
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In February and March, over one thousand people were killed and about four hundred wounded, according to UN figures. A further sixty thousand have been newly displaced, adding to the 1 million Haitians already forced from their homes as of late 2024.
Farkhund Yousafzai is an Associate Editor at The Diplomatic Insight.
