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Russia Today
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Gangs have Haiti's capital nearing collapse
Heavily armed gangs now control most Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, and the city is on the brink of total collapse, a senior UN official has warned. Violence is escalating across the Caribbean nation while the international response remains slow and fragmented, Ghada Fathi Waly, executive director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, told the UN Security Council on Wednesday. According to UN statistics, at least 5,600 people were killed in gang-related incidents in 2024 alone. Haiti has been without a president since the assassination of Jovenel Moise in July 2021, leaving a power vacuum that has allowed armed gangs to expand their influence unchecked. In the absence of a functioning central government and with weakened state institutions, the armed groups have grown in strength, seizing territory and increasingly operating as the de facto authorities across the country, particularly in the capital. 'Organized criminal groups have gained practically total control of the capital – approximately 90% of Port-au-Prince is under their grip,' Waly told the council. The gangs 'are continuing to establish their presence along strategic roads and border regions,' expanding attacks not only into surrounding areas but also into previously peaceful territories. 'Southern Haiti, which until recently was insulated from the violence, has seen a sharp increase in gang-related incidents,' Waly said. 'And in the east, criminal groups are exploiting land routes, including key crossings like Belladere and Malpasse, where attacks against police and customs officials have been reported.' Criminal groups are setting up their own 'parallel governance structures.' Their control over key trade routes has crippled legal commerce, driving up the cost of essential goods such as cooking fuel and rice. Earlier this week, the UN's International Organization for Migration reported that the ongoing crisis has displaced a record 1.3 million people across the Caribbean state. The IOM noted that the number of makeshift shelters has skyrocketed by more than 70%. According to AP, the Kenyan-led, UN-supported mission in Haiti, which arrived in 2024 to help curb gang violence, has remained understaffed and underfunded, with only around 40% of the planned 2,500 personnel currently deployed. The news agency also noted that in February, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres proposed providing drones, fuel, transport, and other non-lethal assistance to bolster the mission, but the plan has stalled in the Security Council.
Russia Today
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
UN warns Haiti's capital nearing collapse as gangs tighten grip
Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, is on the brink of total collapse, with heavily armed gangs now controlling most of the city, a senior UN official has warned. The official stressed that violence continues to escalate across the Caribbean nation, while the international response remains slow and fragmented. Haiti has been without a president since the assassination of Jovenel Moise in July 2021, leaving a power vacuum that has allowed armed gangs to expand their influence unchecked. In the absence of a functioning central government and with weakened state institutions, the armed groups have grown in strength, seizing territory and increasingly operating as the de facto authorities across the country, particularly in the capital. 'Organized criminal groups have gained practically total control of the capital – approximately 90% of Port-au-Prince is under their grip,' Ghada Fathi Waly, the executive director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, told the UN Security Council on Wednesday. She added that the gangs 'are continuing to establish their presence along strategic roads and border regions,' expanding attacks not only into surrounding areas but also into previously peaceful territories. 'Southern Haiti, which until recently was insulated from the violence, has seen a sharp increase in gang-related incidents,' Waly said. 'And in the east, criminal groups are exploiting land routes, including key crossings like Belladere and Malpasse, where attacks against police and customs officials have been reported.' She said the Haitian state's ability to govern is rapidly eroding as gangs tighten their grip, triggering a cascade of consequences. Criminal groups are filling the void left by the absence or breakdown of public services, setting up their own 'parallel governance structures.' Their control over key trade routes has crippled legal commerce, driving up the cost of essential goods such as cooking fuel and rice. Earlier this week, the UN's International Organization for Migration reported that the ongoing crisis has displaced a record 1.3 million people across the Caribbean state. The IOM noted that the number of makeshift shelters has skyrocketed by more than 70%. According to UN statistics, at least 5,600 people were killed in gang-related incidents in 2024 alone. According to AP, the Kenyan-led, UN-supported mission in Haiti, which arrived in 2024 to help curb gang violence, has remained understaffed and underfunded, with only around 40% of the planned 2,500 personnel currently deployed. The news agency also noted that in February, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres proposed providing drones, fuel, transport, and other non-lethal assistance to bolster the mission, but the plan has stalled in the Security Council.
Scoop
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Haitian Capital ‘Paralysed And Isolated' By Gang Violence, Security Council Hears
2 July 2025 Since January, the UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), recorded over 4,000 individuals deliberately killed – a 24 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2024. ' The capital city was for all intents and purposes paralysed by gangs and isolated due to the ongoing suspension of international commercial flights into the international airport,' Miroslav Jenča, Assistant Secretary-General for the Americas at the department of political affairs (DPPA), told ambassadors in the Security Council on Wednesday. Having visited the country recently, he warned that, gangs have only 'strengthened their foothold', which now affects all communes of the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area and beyond, 'pushing the situation closer to the brink.' He called on the international community to act decisively and urgently or the 'total collapse of state presence in the capital could become a very real scenario'. Gang control expands Ghada Fathi Waly, Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), echoed that warning. 'As gang control expands, the state's capacity to govern is rapidly shrinking, with social, economic and security implications,' she told ambassadors, briefing remotely from Vienna. 'This erosion of state legitimacy has cascading effects,' she said, with legal commerce becoming paralysed as gangs control major trade routes, such conditions worsening 'already dire levels of food insecurity and humanitarian need,' she added. Rise of 'vigilante' groups Amidst increasing public frustration with the limited protection capacity of the state, 'vigilante' or self-defence groups are now gaining in popular appeal. Although some are motivated by the urgent need to protect their communities, many operate outside existing legal frameworks, in some cases, engaging in extrajudicial actions and colluding with gangs. The rise of these actors is pushing demand for guns and military-grade weapons, 'fuelling illicit arms markets and raising the risk of licit weapons being diverted to criminal elements,' Ms. Waly said. Human trafficking Meanwhile, the broader deterioration of the security and economic situation in the capital and the rest of the country continues to fuel a sharper escalation in human rights violations. Despite persistent under-reporting of sexual violence due to fear of reprisals, social stigma and lack of trust in institutions, BINUH reported an increase in sexual violence committed by gangs in the past three months. In May, Haitian police raided a medical facility in Pétion-Ville suspected of being involved in illicit organ trade, as allegations of trafficking in persons for the purpose of organ removal are now arising. As the situation in Haiti remains desperate, 'there is not a moment to lose,' Mr. Jenča urged.
Indian Express
26-06-2025
- Health
- Indian Express
International Day Against Drug Abuse 2025: Know the date, theme, history, and significance
International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking 2025: According to the most recent UNODC World Drug Report, the number of drug users will reach 292 million by 2022, a 20% increase over the previous decade. On December 7, 1987, the General Assembly declared June 26 as International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking to encourage action and collaboration towards the goal of a drug-free world. It is also known as World Drug Day, with the day aiming to increase action and collaboration in the effort to end illicit drug use throughout the globe. The theme for 2025, 'Break the Cycle. #StopOrganizedCrime', emphasises the significance of focused long-term action to break the cycle of organised crime and drug trafficking. 'Prevention and preparedness are how we break the cycle of organized crime.'@GhadaFathiWaly calls for the critical need to #InvestInPrevention, to protect people from drug use and empower communities to live in safety and dignity.#WorldDrugDay — UN Office on Drugs & Crime (@UNODC) June 26, 2025 It encourages tackling it through fundamental causes, the day encourages investment in prevention, including justice, education, health care, and alternative livelihoods – all are essential components of long-term resilience. Every year, people, cities, and various organisations throughout the world support this global observance, which attempts to raise awareness of the huge threat that illegal drugs pose to society. The Government of India, through its zero-tolerance policy, active enforcement measures, and people-centric programs such as Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, is making significant progress towards a safer, healthier, and drug-free future for Indians. #WATCH | Delhi: As Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) organises the Program Of Cyclothon on the occasion of International Day against Drug Abuse & Illicit, Director General of NCB, Anurag Garg says, '26 June is celebrated as International Anti-Drug day and the way it is emerging in… — ANI (@ANI) June 22, 2025
