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ConflictsHaiti

Haiti: Gangs attack UN helicopter as violence surges

October 25, 2024

Haiti has been wracked by unrest since 2021. But a wave of gang violence in recent weeks, including an incident where a UN helicopter was shot at, has raised concerns about the situation in the country.

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A United Nations security team member stands in front of a helicopter in Port-au-Prince, Haiti
UN security teams have been sent to Haiti to deal with the growing power of violent armed gangsImage: Ramon Espinosa/AP Photo/picture alliance

Armed gangs in Haiti opened fire and hit a UN helicopter on Thursday, forcing it to land in the capital Port-au-Prince.

The Associated Press and other US media outlets said the helicopter carrying three crew members and 15 passengers landed safely in the capital.

UN helicopters are key for delivering food and other aid to millions of Haitians in communities cut off from roads and places ruled by armed gangs.

There was no official confirmation about the attack that targeted the helicopter, which belonged to the UN's World Food Program.

The swell of violence has sparked concerns that armed gangs are trying to exert their influence even more.

What is the situation in Haiti?

Haiti has been wracked by armed gangs since the death of President Jovenel Moise in 2021. Much of Port-au-Prince and its suburbs have since come under the control of various armed groups that have banded together under a common alliance called Viv Ansanm.

Earlier in the month, armed gangs opened fire in a town some 60 miles (97 kilometers) north of the capital, setting dozens of houses on fire.

At least 70 people were killed, including three children.

How the West messed with Haiti

In the last week alone, more than 10,000 people were internally displaced, according to the UN migration agency.

The agency had said at the start of September that more than 700,000 people were internally displaced across the Caribbean nation, nearly double the figure six months earlier.

What is the international community doing to help?

Haiti's current government has little power and relies on a UN-backed multinational security mission to combat gangs.

The security support mission has some 400 police officers on the ground. Their task is to assist the Haitian national police force.

Kenyan police patrol gang-ridden Haiti capital

The force is expected to grow to 2,500. Kenya said earlier in the week during a UN Security Council briefing that it was going to strengthen the security mission by another 600 officers by mid-November.

However, the gangs are extremely well armed, largely because of gun trafficking from the US, a point that US lawmakers raised in a letter to the Biden administration.

rm/zc (Reuters, AP, AFP)