Haiti

Child recruitment by gangs in Haiti rises by 70% in past year: Unicef

Gangs in Haiti are recruiting children at unprecedented levels, with the number of minors targeted soaring by 70 per cent in the past year, according to a report released Monday by UNICEF. Currently, between 30 per cent to 50 per cent of all gang members in the violence-wracked country are children, according to the UN. This is a very concerning trend, said Geeta Narayan, UNICEF's representative in Haiti. The increase comes as poverty deepens and violence increases amid political instability, with gangs that control 85 per cent of Port-au-Prince attacking once peaceful communities in a push to assume total control of the capital. Young boys are often used as informers because they're invisible and not seen as a threat, Narayan said in a phone interview from Haiti. Some are given weapons and forced to participate in attacks. Girls, meanwhile, are forced to cook, clean and even used as so-called wives for gang members. They're not doing this voluntarily, Narayan said. Even when the

US prohibits airlines from flying to Haiti, UN temporarily suspends flights

The Federal Aviation Administration announced Tuesday that it will prohibit US airlines from flying to Haiti for 30 days after gangs shot two planes and the United Nations will temporarily suspend flights to Port-au-Prince, limiting humanitarian aid coming into the country. Bullets hit the Spirit Airlines plane when it was about to land Monday in the country's capital, injuring a flight attendant and forcing the airport to shut down. Photos and videos obtained by The Associated Press show bullet holes dotting the interior of a plane. On Tuesday, JetBlue announced that its plane had also been shot while departing Port-au-Prince on Monday. The shootings were part of a wave of violence that erupted as the country plagued by gang violence swore in its new prime minister after a politically tumultuous process. UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the agency documented 20 armed clashes and more roadblocks affecting humanitarian operation during the violence Monday. The Port-au-Prince airpo

Haiti shuts main airport as gang violence escalates; new PM sworn in

Haiti's international airport shut down on Monday after gangs opened fire at a commercial flight landing in Port-Au-Prince, prompting some airlines to temporarily suspend operations as the country swore in a new interim prime minister who promised to restore peace. The Spirit Airlines flight headed from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Port-Au-Prince was just hundreds of feet from landing in Haiti's capital when gangs shot at the plane striking a flight attendant, who suffered minor injuries, according to the airline, the U.S Embassy and flight tracking data. The flight was diverted and landed in the Dominican Republic. Photos and videos obtained by The Associated Press show bullet holes dotting the interior of a plane. The shooting appeared to be part of what the U.S Embassy called gang-led efforts to block travel to and from Port-au-Prince which may include armed violence, and disruptions to roads, ports, and airports. Spirit, JetBlue and American Airlines said Monday they were ...

Gangs in Haiti open fire, hit UN helicopter mid-air as violence rises

Gangs on Thursday opened fire and hit a UN helicopter as it prepared to land in Port-au-Prince, marking the latest attack in Haiti's capital as violence surges once again. No one was injured as several rounds of gunfire hit the helicopter that was carrying three crew members and 15 passengers, according to a UN source who was not authorised to confirm the incident. The helicopter landed safely. The attack comes five months after Haiti's main international airport reopened following coordinated gang attacks that forced it to close for nearly three months. The violence has spilled to nearby areas including Arcahaie, where some 50 suspected gang members died this week after attacking the coastal town located just northwest of the capital. Among the dead are at least a dozen gunmen who drowned after their boat capsized, a government official said Thursday. While the majority were killed by police, a group of gunmen drowned on Wednesday after their boat hit the reef as they ferried ...

Haitians in Ohio find solidarity at church after false pet-eating claims

For many Haitian immigrants, Sunday mornings in Springfield, Ohio, are spent joyfully worshipping God as they sing and pray in their native Creole. This Sunday, they needed that uplifting balm more than ever. Their community is reeling confused, frustrated, hurt from false accusations that they are eating their neighbour's cats and dogs. The now viral and highly politicised rumours are being fuelled by former president Donald Trump, his running mate JD Vance and others, and violent threats against the community are upending daily life in their city. Jesus is with us in truth, and the truth is that Haitians are not eating pets and geese in Springfield, said the Rev. Carl Ruby, preaching at Central Christian Church. He invited community members to join his congregation in prayer and peaceful protest of the false rumours levelled against their Haitian neighbours. They also demanded an apology. It is truth that a retraction of these rumours will help to restore peace in Springfield,"

Trump falsely accuses immigrants in Ohio of eating pets in prez debate

Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday amplified false rumors that Haitian immigrants in Ohio were abducting and eating pets, repeating during a televised debate the type of inflammatory and anti-immigrant rhetoric he has promoted throughout his campaigns. There is no evidence that Haitian immigrants in an Ohio community are doing that, officials say. But during the debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump specifically mentioned Springfield, Ohio, the town at the center of the claims, saying that immigrants were taking over the city. They're eating the dogs. They're eating the cats. They're eating the pets of the people that live there, he said. Harris called Trump extreme and laughed after his comment. Debate moderators pointed out that city officials have said the claims are not true. Trump's comments echoed claims made by his campaign, including his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, and other Republicans. The claims attracted attention this week when Vance posted on soc

As Haiti's army eyes recruits to fight gangs, youths jump at job offer

The announcement that Haiti's military wanted recruits crackled through a small radio perched on a street stall in downtown Port-au-Prince where Maurenceley Clerge repairs and sells smartphones. It was early morning, and the 21-year-old paused, eager to hear the details. He envisioned earning enough to afford his own food and rent. Two weeks later, he completed the required paperwork and stood in line with hundreds of other Haitians under a brutal sun for the chance to join up. It's the moment I have been waiting for, said Clerge, who stays with a friend who also provides him with food. I want to serve as a citizen of this country and also to move up and upgrade my life. Thousands of young Haitians are jumping at the chance to become soldiers as widespread gang violence creates a rare job opportunity in a deeply impoverished country where work is scarce. Brushing aside the possibility they could be kidnapped, tortured or killed, Haiti's youngest generation is answering the call of a

Kenyan cops crucial to controlling gangs, early days are positive: Haiti PM

Haitian Prime Minister Garry Conille told the UN Security Council on Wednesday that recently deployed Kenyan police will be crucial to helping control the country's gangs and moving toward democratic elections and he called feedback from their initial days in the capital "extremely, extremely positive". He said his government will focus on addressing gang violence and food insecurity, ensuring free elections through constitutional and political reform, and rebuilding public trust in the police. On June 25, the initial contingent of 200 Kenyan police arrived in Port-au-Prince. Kenya has pledged 1,000 police to the international police force and Conille said the next contingent will be arriving very soon. They will later be joined by police from the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Benin, Chad and Jamaica in the force that will total 2,500 personnel. Haiti asked for an international force to combat gangs in 2022, and UN Secretary-General Antnio Guterres appealed for months for a countr

Haiti's gang violence has displaced 300,000 children since March: UN

Gang violence in Haiti has displaced more than 300,000 children since March, the UN children's agency said Tuesday as the Caribbean country struggles to curb killings and kidnappings. Children are more than half of the nearly 580,000 people who have become homeless in the last four months. The spike in violence began in late February after a series of coordinated attacks on key government infrastructure eventually led Prime Minister Ariel Henry to resign in April. The humanitarian catastrophe unfolding before our eyes is taking a devastating toll on children, Catherine Russell, UNICEF's executive director, said in a statement. Displaced children are in desperate need of a safe and protective environment, and increased support and funding from the international community. Gangs now control at least 80 per cent of the capital Port-au-Prince and the key roads leading in and out of it, with more than 2,500 people killed or injured across the country in the first three months of the year

Gang violence in Haiti displaces nearly 580,000 people, shows UN report

Surging violence in Haiti from clashes with armed gangs since March has displaced nearly 5,80,000 people, according to a new report from the UN migration agency, a sobering figure that underscores the magnitude of the Caribbean nation's crisis. Haiti has long faced unrest but at the end of February, gangs unleashed coordinated attacks with gunmen taking control of police stations, opening fire on the main international airport that remained closed for nearly three months and stormed Haiti's two biggest prisons. A report released on Tuesday by the International Organisation for Migration said the displacement of more than half a million is mainly due to people fleeing the capital of Port-au-Prince for other provinces, which lack the resources to support them. In March, the agency reported more than 3,62,000 internally displaced people in Haiti. Since then, the violence has more than doubled the number of internally displaced in the southern region already ravaged by a 2021 earthquak

Sudan, Congo, Haiti top UN envoy's concerns for children in conflicts

The United Nations envoy charged with reporting on violations against children in conflicts around the world said that first and foremost she is worried about what's happening to youngsters in war-torn Sudan, followed by Congo and Haiti. Virginia Gamba told a news conference officially launching the secretary-general's annual report and UN blacklist of violators that she is also very worried about children caught in Myanmar's civil war and the spillover into neighbouring Bangladesh. For the future, on the horizon, she said, I'm worried about Somalia and Afghanistan. The report for the first time put both Israeli forces and Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad militants on the blacklist for violating children's rights in 2023 during Hamas' October 7 surprise invasion of southern Israel and its massive military retaliation in Gaza that is ongoing. The UN also kept the Russian armed forces and affiliated armed groups on the blacklist for a second year over their killing and maiming of

Haiti's new PM Conille discharged after spending night in hospital

Haiti's newly selected Prime Minister Garry Conille was discharged from a hospital on Sunday after spending a night in treatment for an undisclosed condition. In a video published on YouTube, Conille said he is now feeling well and is ready to continue to help steer the country out of its current security crisis by forming a government that will also prioritize issues like health care. "The whole time I was at the hospital, I was thinking of something, Conille said in Sunday's video. People that need to go to the general hospital can't get there due to security problems. People who need health care can't afford it. Conille arrived in Haiti on June 1 after a transitional council selected him as the nation's new prime minister. He had been working outside the country as UNICEF's regional director for Latin America. Gang violence is still surging in parts of Haiti's capital and beyond as Conille takes over the helm of the troubled Caribbean country awaiting the UN backed deployment of

Haiti PM hospitalised days after being selected to lead nation: Official

Haiti's newly selected prime minister, Garry Conille, was hospitalised late Saturday in the capital of Port-au-Prince just days after arriving in the country, an official told The Associated Press. It wasn't immediately known why Conille was hospitalised. Louis Grald Gilles, a member of the transitional presidential council that recently chose Conille as leader of the troubled Caribbean country, said he was en route to the hospital and did not have further information. A spokesman for Conille did not immediately return a message for comment. AP journalists observed high-ranking officials entering the hospital, including Frantz Elb, director of Haiti's National Police. Also present was Bruno Maes, UNICEF's representative in Haiti. They both declined comment. A handful of curious onlookers gathered outside the hospital as authorities blocked the street with tinted-glass SUVs. Conille was chosen as prime minister May 28 after a convoluted selection process. He faces an arduous task

'Operation Indravati' to evacuate stranded Indians in Haiti launched

Taking to his official X handle, Jaishankar posted, "12 Indians evacuated today. Fully committed to the security and well-being of our nationals abroad."

Gangs launch new attacks on upscale areas in Haiti's capital, dozens killed

Gangs attacked two upscale neighbourhoods in Haiti's capital in a rampage that left at least a dozen people dead in surrounding areas. Gunmen looted homes in the communities of Laboule and Thomassin before sunrise on Monday, forcing residents to flee as some called radio stations pleading for police. The neighbourhoods had remained largely peaceful despite a surge in violent gang attacks across Port-au-Prince that began on February 29. An Associated Press photographer saw the bodies of at least 12 men strewn on the streets of Ptionville, located just below the mountainous communities of Laboule and Thomassin. Crowds began gathering around the victims. One was lying face up on the street surrounded by a scattered deck of cards and another found face down inside a pick-up truck known as a "tap-tap" that operates as a taxi. A woman at one of the scenes collapsed and had to be held by others after learning that a relative of hers was killed. "Abuse! This is abuse!" cried out one Haitia

First charter flight carrying US citizens fleeing Haiti lands in Miami

A charter flight carrying dozens of US citizens fleeing spiralling gang violence in Haiti has landed in Miami, US State Department officials said. More than 30 US citizens were on the government-chartered flight that landed on Sunday, officials said in a statement. It arrived at the Miami International Airport after the US Embassy in Port-au-Prince earlier this month urged US citizens to leave "as soon as possible" as chaos grips Haiti. Passenger Avlot Quessa, who lives in Boston, travelled from the centre of the country to board the charter flight after going to Haiti last month for what was supposed to be a weeklong trip to visit his mother. "It's just terrible ... The suffering, you can only imagine," Quessa told the Miami Herald of the nearby Caribbean nation. "Haiti is my homeland and it's very stressful to see the homeland going through this act of violence, destruction ... and they are our neighbours." Haiti's main airport in Port-au-Prince remains closed following gang atta

India looking at evacuating its nationals amid violence in Haiti, says MEA

India on Friday said it is looking at evacuating up to 90 of its nationals from Haiti in view of the deteriorating security situation in the Caribbean nation. Various gangs have launched coordinated attacks on key installations in Haiti in an attempt to force the resignation of the country's embattled Prime Minister Ariel Henry. There are between 75 and 90 Indians in Haiti and about 60 of them have registered with Indian authorities to return to India "if need be", external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at his weekly media briefing. "We are ready to evacuate everybody," he said. India doesn't have an embassy in Haiti and the situation in the country is being monitored by the Indian mission at Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has already opened control rooms and established emergency helpline numbers in Santo Domingo as well as in New Delhi. The Indian embassy in Santo Domingo said it is in touch with

Plan to install new leadership in Haiti crumbles after parties' rejection

A proposal to install new leadership in Haiti appeared to be crumbling Wednesday as some political parties rejected the plan to create a presidential council that would manage the transition. The panel would be responsible for selecting an interim prime minister and a council of ministers that would attempt to chart a new path for the Caribbean country that has been overrun by gangs. The violence has closed schools and businesses and disrupted daily life across Haiti. Jean Charles Mose, an ex-senator and presidential candidate who has teamed up with former rebel leader Guy Philippe, held a news conference Wednesday to announce his rejection of the proposed council backed by the international community. Mose insisted that a three-person presidential council he recently created with Philippe and a Haitian judge should be implemented. We are not going to negotiate it, he said in a loud voice as he wiped his forehead with a handkerchief. We have to make them understand." His ally ...

Haiti's future being planned on two tracks: political power, gang power

Haiti's future is being planned on two tracks one involving traditional political power, the other focused on the power of gangs. After an intense session of international diplomacy in Jamaica, a group of Caribbean nations and the United States announced Tuesday that Haiti's best hope for calming violence rests with a council of influential figures who would elected an interim leader and could steer the country toward fresh presidential elections. As they spoke to the media, a heavily armed gang leader held an impromptu news conference in Port-au-Prince and rejected any solution led and supported by the international community. Haitian people will choose who will govern them, Jimmy Barbecue Chrizier said Monday. Haitian politics have lived in these two worlds for decades, experts told The Associated Press this week. Politicians and business interests have maintained on-the-books legal interests while employing gangs to enforce their will on the chaotic streets. WHO DECIDES HAITI'

Haiti preparing itself for new leadership; gangs want share in power

Politicians across Haiti are scrambling for power after Prime Minister Ariel Henry announced Tuesday that he would resign once a transitional presidential council is created. But elbowing their way into the race are powerful gangs that control 80% of Haiti's capital and demand a say in the future of the troubled country under siege. No one mentioned the armed groups as Caribbean leaders congratulated themselves late Monday for setting Haiti on a new political path, and experts warned that nothing will change unless gangs become part of the conversation. Gangs have become stronger, and they have the upper hand in terms of security, said Renata Segura of the International Crisis Group. This transition is not influencing the day-to-day security of Haiti. We are very concerned. Gangs have deep ties to Haiti's political and economic elite, but they have become more independent, financing their operations with kidnapping ransoms to buy smuggled weapons, including belt-fed machine guns an