Haiti : Humanitarian note -The impact of violence, 31 March 2023

Publié par siel sur 4 Avril 2023, 22:37pm

Catégories : #AYITI ACTUALITES, #AYITI ROSE RAKET, #AYITI EXTREME DROITE, #AYITI ECONOMIE, #PEUPLE sans mémoire..., #DUVALIER

Haiti : Humanitarian note -The impact of violence, 31 March 2023

HIGHLIGHTS

• The first quarter of 2023 was marked by the expansion and intensification of violence linked to armed groups. OCHA estimates that around 80 per cent of the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area is under the control or influence of armed groups. The Artibonite department, the country’s breadbasket, has also been subject to an outburst of violence.

• The impact of armed violence on the population has reached unprecedented levels, with more than 5.2 million Haitian men and women (almost half the population) in need of humanitarian assistance.

• The Humanitarian Needs Overview 2023 for Haiti reflects this alarming situation based on 200 testimonies and life-stories collected directly from the most vulnerable people and those who assist them. The aim is to understand the humanitarian situation in the country through the words of the Haitian population.

CONTEXT OVERVIEW

OCHA estimates that approximately 80 per cent of the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area is now under the control or influence of armed groups. The phenomenon of armed groups in Haiti is not new (it appeared around 1956), but their presence and influence have grown exponentially since 2021, particularly following the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, the earthquake of 14 August 2021 and the security, socio-economic and political unrest that ensued. Moreover, for several months, armed groups have shown increased levels of organisation, including with the use of advanced technological means, such as drones. This armed violence is reflected in territorial struggles, particularly at the exits and entrances to the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince (PAPMA), and on the strategic roads linking the capital to the various departments.

Kidnappings are now part of Haitians' daily lives, as are power cuts, fuel shortages, mountains of garbage in the streets, robberies, and armed attacks, as well as numerous violations of fundamental rights such as access to education and health. Between 2021 and 2022, the number of kidnapping cases more than doubled and the trend continues upwards, as shown in the graph in the PDF. Between 1 January and 15 March 2023, at least 277 people were abducted. Violence associated with armed groups also resulted in the deaths of at least 531 people and injured 300 others. A majority of victims were reported in the Ouest (where the PAPMA is located) and Artibonite departments.

Another worrying development is the emergence of self-defense groups, as the population feels little or no protection or safety. These groups have emerged in several districts of the capital as well as in the Artibonite. Several incidents have already been reported where the population had set up self-defence patrols and/or engaged in acts of violence to protect themselves.

This violence associated with armed groups, in addition to kidnappings, sequestrations, gunshot wounds and killings, has a dramatic humanitarian impact. According to OCHA, at least 1.5 million people, half the capital population, are directly affected by violence and have their freedom of movement and access to basic services hindered. This has serious consequences for the protection of the Haitian population, including sexual violence, in most cases against women, girls and boys. The number of people in need of protection has almost doubled in one year. Since the beginning of the year, the United Nations recorded at least 93 rapes involving armed groups, a figure that falls far short of the reality as such violence is too often underreported. Armed violence against schools, including shootings, looting and abductions, has increased nine fold in one year. This is compounded by the recruitment of children by armed groups.

Violence-related internal displacement is also on the rise, with an estimation of more than 136,500 displaced persons (IDPs) at the end of March 2023, twice as many as in 2021, according to IOM. Since October 2022, the number of IDPs in the Artibonite department is approaching 8,500. As much as 97 per cent of displacements are directly caused by the growing insecurity.

In addition, access to health care is jeopardised in many parts of the country. For example, security incidents forced Doctors without Borders to temporarily close its hospital in Cité Soleil on 9 March (with outpatient emergency services reopening on 22 March). In the communes of Artibonite, health facilities also lack inputs. Moreover, health personnel are victims of numerous cases of kidnapping. According to the Haitian Medical Association, at least 20 doctors were kidnapped in 2022, and 10 others in the first quarter of 2023 alone.