More sophisticated and high-caliber weapons are being illegally shipped to Haiti where violence has reached levels not seen for decades, warned a UN report seen by AFP on Saturday.
The smuggling of guns, including heavy machine guns, “fueled ongoing gang violence for months,” the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said.
Haiti – the poorest country in the western hemisphere – has for years been in a vicious cycle of humanitarian, economic and political crises exacerbated by brutal gang violence.
“Killings, kidnappings, and displacement are on the rise in Haiti, which is suffering its worst human rights and humanitarian emergency in decades,” the report said.
Authorities reported 2,183 murders and 1,359 kidnappings in 2022 – almost double the previous year.
Gangs control more than half the country, the study notes.
The UNODC based its findings on “a recent increase in weapons attacks along with intelligence and law enforcement reports”.
The study “seeks to shed light on the trade flows that enable gangs in Haiti … Analysis Branch.
Most of the firearms come from the United States and transit through Florida, where Haitian exiles often use containers that carry ordinary items to hide the guns.
Handguns that cost less than $500 in the United States can sell for up to $10,000 in Haiti, where gang members have a choice of guns including AK47s, AR15s and Galils.
“Haiti’s porous borders severely challenge the capacity of the under-resourced and under-staffed national police, customs, border patrols and coast guards,” UNODC said.
Canada has deployed two warships in Haiti to conduct surveillance and support local police efforts to control gangs.