150 deaths in one week: “An omen of the worst to come”

The violence in Haiti has left at least 150 dead in a week in the capital Port-au-Prince, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, expressed concern on Wednesday, denouncing “the gang violence. “At least 150 people were killed, 92 injured and some 20,000 had to flee their homes during the week” of November 11, he stressed in a United Nations press release.

This new toll brings to 4,544 deaths and 2,060 injured the number of deaths in Haiti since the start of the year, according to the UN, which emphasizes that the real toll is “probably higher”. The UN says that around 700,000 people are now internally displaced, half of whom are children.

“The latest outbreak of violence in the Haitian capital is an omen of the worst to come,” said Volker Türk in this press release. “Gang violence must be stopped quickly. Haiti must not sink further into chaos,” he added.

This poor Caribbean country has suffered from chronic political instability for decades. But it also faces a new resurgence of gang violence, which controls 80% of the capital, Port-au-Prince.