Religious orders working in Haiti have called on the inter-national community to directly intervene to address the reign of terror of armed gangs they described as “diabolical, frightening and unacceptable.”
The same gangs are responsible for nearly four kidnappings a day in 2022 and violence that killed more than 200 and forced 3,000 to flee their homes during July alone.
In an Aug. 4 open letter to Najat Maalla M’jid, U.N. special rapporteur on violence against children, the Justice Coalition of Religious — made up of 20 religious orders — urged the inter-national community “to respond swiftly and effectively to the atrocities occurring in Haiti.”
In a document of testimonies published by the coalition, Passionist Father Rick Frechette, a doctor in Port-au-Prince, said “99% of people on the street want a foreign military force to save them.” He described the situation on the streets of Port-au-Prince as “Somalia-type battles.”
The coalition letter noted that the “Haitian state has failed in its sovereign obligation to protect the population.” It diverged from a July 29 statement from the Haitian bishops’ conference, which said state authority must be restored and that the government must take immediate action to “disarm the gangs, to allow the police to tackle violent crime and create a climate of serenity and confidence.” The bishops’ message stopped short of calling for action from the international community.