Haiti | Extreme levels of gang violence continue

The United Nations Security Council has heard that extreme levels of gang violence continue to erode state authority and pose an alarming threat to the people of Haiti and to international peace and security in the region.

U.N. Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs Miroslav Jenca also expressed deep concern about the slow progress on Haiti's roadmap for restoring democratic institutions after a coalition of gangs continue to cement its hold over the country, particularly in the capital Port-au-Prince.

This High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk this week warned that the population in Haiti's capital was practically being held hostage as gangs now control all the main roads in and out of the area. Sherwin Bryce-Pease reports that the United States and Ecuador have now expressed a readiness to proceed with a formal request for recommendations from the Secretary General for re-deploying a fully-fledged peacekeeping operation to Haiti.

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