He noted that a UN expert’s estimate that Haiti needs up to 2,000 additional anti-gang police is not an exaggeration.
Emphasizing that the UN is not calling for a military force or a political mission, Guterres called on members of the United Nations Security Council and potential contributing countries to “act now” to deploy a multinational force to assist the police. Haitian National to “defeat and dismantle the gangs”.
The Caribbean nation has been calling for such a force since October.
The UN chief, who visited the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince on Saturday, told reporters that criminal gangs have “absolute control” over the population. “The Haitian people are trapped in a living nightmare. The humanitarian conditions are beyond dire,” he expressed.
William O’Neill, an independent UN expert on Haiti who wrapped up a 10-day trip to the country last week on Wednesday, estimated that Haiti needs between 1,000 and 2,000 international police officers with experience in organized criminal gangs and their financing, as well as in kidnappings and urban operations. He stressed that the quality of the officers is more important than the quantity.
O’Neill, an American lawyer who has been working in the Caribbean country for more than 30 years and helped establish the Haitian National Police in 1995, told reporters: “I have never seen the situation as bad as now.”
When Guterres was asked about O’Neill’s estimate, the UN chief said the correct number for an international force must be assessed and that, in any case, the expert’s numbers “do not reflect any exaggeration”. He added that the police also need funding, training and equipment.
FUENTE: Associated Press
