Angry population burned alive members of gangs that keep Haiti ravaged
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This week, 13 suspected gang members were beaten and burned to death by a group of civilians due to the lack of action by the police to stop them
The situation of violence in Haiti has been described as very serious even by the United Nations Organization and in recent hours it has worsened with the lynching of alleged members of violent gangs in that country.
According to the Haitian National Police, more than a dozen people were lynched Monday by a mob in Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince on suspicion of being gang members, according to authorities.
Before the massacre, Haitian National Police had detained and searched the victims in a minibus in the Canape-Vert neighborhood, seizing weapons and other equipment, according to a Haitian National Police statement.
“More of a dozen people who were traveling aboard this vehicle were unfortunately lynched by members of the population”, the official communication states.
In a tweet, the Prime Minister of Haiti, Ariel Henry, applauded the Haitian police on Monday for recent operations aimed at restoring “order and peace in our cities and neighborhoods.”
The president also expressed his condolences to the police officers injured in recent operations to restore peace. “The Government, through me, extends its condolences to the police officers injured in the latest operations,” added Henry.
For several months now, Criminal gangs control vast swaths of Port-au-Prince, ravaging residents with extreme violence, while Haitians also face extreme poverty and a humanitarian crisis.
The “unprecedented insecurity” in Haiti demands urgent measures: new UN envoy
The rapidly deteriorating security situation in Haiti requires that the country remain at the center of international attention and action, the newly appointed UN Special Representative, María Isabel Salvador, declared on Wednesday at her first session briefing to the Security Council.
He warned that any further delay in addressing the “unprecedented insecurity” in Haiti could have repercussions in the region.
“Time is pressing, and the Haitian people deserve your urgent action. If he is not supported, the vicious circle of violence and political, social, and economic crises, in which the people struggle every day, will continue to turn,” he stated.
Salvador acknowledged that given the little or no zero police presence, some residents of the capital have begun to take the law into their own hands. He reported that this week, 13 suspected gang members were beaten and burned to death by a group of civilians.
Although the government continues to invest in the Haitian National Police, the force is understaffed and ill-equipped to deal with violence and crime.