UN: Number of Haitians Fleeing Gang Violence Up 60%

Facts

• Philippe Branchat, head of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Haiti, has warned of extreme humanitarian consequences of violence fueled by armed gangs on the number of displaced Haitians.¹
• According to the IOM's report published Tuesday, 578,074 people are internally displaced in the Caribbean country of 11.9M people — a 60% surge compared to 362,551 people in early March — with criminal gangs controlling around 80% of the capital, Port-au-Prince.²
• Branchat said the IOM figures are the result of years of escalating violence and its 'catastrophic humanitarian impact,' adding that the ongoing Haitian crisis is forcing increasing numbers of people to flee their homes.³
• Most internally displaced Haitians are housed in communities already facing overstretched social services and inadequate infrastructure, which the IOM warns could trigger further tensions and more violence.⁴
• To tackle the rampant violence, Haiti's presidential transitional council, in conjunction with new Prime Minister Garry Conille, last week replaced Frantz Elbe — the head of the national police force — with former police chief Normil Rameau.⁵
• Meanwhile, a Haitian police delegation met with Kenya's Police Inspector General Japhet Koome on Tuesday ahead of the planned deployment of a Kenyan-led multinational peacekeeping mission to the violence-ridden Caribbean country.⁶

Sources: ¹Reuters, ²Voice of America, ³France 24, ⁴International Organization for Migration, ⁵HaitiLibre.com and ⁶Nairobi Wire.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by CNW Network. The latest IOM figures are tragic, yet there is light at the end of the tunnel following the appointment of a new Haitian Prime Minister and a new Cabinet. Added to this is the removal of the Haitian National Police Chief for his failure to crack down on gang violence and the imminent deployment of Kenyan police forces to the country to stop the violence. The situation could hardly be worse, but a renewed focus on security and stability offers Haitians hope for a better future.
• Narrative B, as provided by The Elephant. The IOM's alarming figures remind the world of the humanitarian disaster in the Western Hemisphere's poorest country, and there is little reason to believe that the new government or police chief will make any significant difference. There are also well-founded concerns that the UN-authorized police force will do more harm than good. Haitians deserve freedom and dignity, but it remains doubtful that this will be achieved in the foreseeable future.

Predictions