Political solution ‘no longer sufficient’ to address crisis in Haiti, says UN

A senior United Nations official has cautioned that a political solution is “no longer sufficient” to address Haiti’s present crisis, following protests on Monday calling for Prime Minister Dr. Ariel Henry’s resignation.

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Helen La Lime, the UN Special Representative in Haiti, told the UN Security Council that a political solution in Haiti remains elusive and it is no longer sufficient to solve the crisis and save thousands of lives that would otherwise be lost.

She, therefore, urged ambassadors to “act decisively and help address the persistent scourges of insecurity and corruption that, along with a health crisis, are accelerating Haiti’s downward spiral”.

On Monday, the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres told reporters that the current blockade of vital humanitarian and civilian supplies in the capital Port-au-Prince by heavily armed gangs and the growing risk posed by cholera necessitate “armed action” to create a life-saving humanitarian corridor.

“I am talking of something to be done based on strict humanitarian criteria, independent of the political dimensions of the problem that need to be solved by the Haitians themselves”, said Guterres, adding that he had been urging the Security Council to act, to strengthen the national police force with training and equipment, but the current crisis “meant that more needed to be done”.

To compound issues, Haiti is also facing an upsurge in cholera cases.

La Lime said dozens of cholera cases have been confirmed in just a few weeks, with more than half resulting in death, and hundreds more suspected in the West and Centre Departments.

She also said that there are undocumented cases of the deadly waterborne disease as it continues to mount through parts of the country’s capital.

In addition, gangs continue to blockade the Varreux terminal, where most of the country’s fuel is stored, further complicating the crises in Haiti.

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“The consequences for Haiti’s basic infrastructure have been severe, disrupting operations at the country’s hospitals and water suppliers, impacting cholera response”, La Lime told Security Council members, underscoring that, without fuel, trash cannot be removed from neighborhoods, while torrential rains promote flooding, which mixes with refuse “to create insalubrious conditions ripe for the spread of disease”.

She warned that, so far, neither the work of the police nor appeals by diplomatic corps, including the UN, for the establishment of a humanitarian corridor, have been successful.

The Special Representative said nearly a thousand kidnappings have been reported in 2022 alone, and general insecurity continues to prevent millions of children from attending classes, isolates entire neighborhoods, and leaves families open to extortion, with some burnt alive in their own homes.

“It is to be hoped that this weekend’s arrivals in Port-au-Prince of important Haitian-purchased tactical equipment, delivered by Canada and the US, will assist the police in regaining control of the situation”, she said.

La Lime added that any enhanced security support to the Haitian National Police (HNP) should also be accompanied by support for the justice system – both to ensure proper accountability but also to re-enforce nationally-led initiatives, such as the proposed judicial units specialized in prosecuting gang-related offences, as well as financial crimes.

“Under such a state of persistent civil unrest, violence and looting, [including of World Food Programme (WFP) and UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warehouses], basic rights are being flagrantly undermined across the country,” she said. “Gangs continue to injure, kidnap, rape and kill”.

The UN said, if this was not enough, the economic deprivation is also leaving the population in its “most vulnerable state in years,” with gang violence preventing a proportional humanitarian response to cholera and food shortages.

A record 4.7 million people face acute hunger, including tens of thousands who are now on the “brink of starvation”, the UN said.

“To support Haitian institutions in their drive for civic order and accountability – and to save thousands of lives that will otherwise be lost – members of this Council must act, and decisively so, to help address the persistent scourges of insecurity and corruption in Haiti”, La Lime urged.

CMC/