Haiti Leader Calls for Global Aid in War Against Gangs

One of Haiti’s leaders has appealed to the international community for assistance in addressing the ongoing challenges of gang violence and hunger in the Caribbean nation.

Laurent Saint-Cyr, head of Haiti’s transitional presidential council, spoke at the U.N. General Assembly in New York, emphasizing the urgent need for action as people continue to lose their lives daily in Haiti.

Saint-Cyr described the situation in Haiti as a war between criminal gangs seeking to impose violence and an armed population fighting for dignity and freedom. The violence has resulted in over 3,100 deaths and 1,189 injuries from January to June, with more than 1.3 million people displaced and over half of the country's population facing severe hunger.

Kettia Jean Charles, a resident of Port-au-Prince, shared her experience of living in a shelter in the Delmas 31 area after fleeing gang violence that forced her beauty salon in the Solino neighborhood to close. Pregnant and struggling to feed her family, Charles expressed her desperation for assistance to improve her situation.

Despite a U.N.-backed mission aimed at supporting the local police in combating gangs, the mission remains understaffed and underfunded. Saint-Cyr and countries like the U.S. and Panama have called for a new force of 5,550 personnel in Haiti to address the crisis effectively.

The once-vibrant Solino neighborhood now lies in ruins, with gangs looting and destroying homes and businesses. Residents like Charles dream of leaving the shelter to provide a better future for their children and contribute positively to society.