“Drop your weapons and recognize the state's authority”, Haiti's PM tells gangs

In an address to the nation Wednesday, Haiti's Prime Minister called gangs to surrender their weapons.

“Life every day in Port-au-Prince has turned into a battle for survival,” Gary Conille said.

According to the UN, 2,500 people, including at least 82 children, were killed, or injured because of gang violence in the first three months of the year.

It is estimated that gangs control about 80% of the capital.

“Drop your weapons and recognize the authority of the state,” Conille said in a message to gangs.

When assuming office in June, Conille promised to "deliver" for the Caribbean nation grappling with overlapping security, humanitarian and political crises.

Earlier this month, Jimmy Cherizier, a powerful gang leader accused the Prime minister of not opening dialogue with the alliance that he represents.

Cherizier who is best known as Barbecue called for a national dialogue.

READ ALSO: Haiti gang leader calls for dialogue as Kenyan police patrol the streets

A Multinational Security Support Mission comprising police officers from Kenya, Chad and Benin is deploying to Haiti with a mandate to help their local counterparts restore security.

In late February, gangs launched coordinated attacks targeting key state infrastructure. They seized control of more than two dozen police stations; opened fire on the main international airport, forcing it to close for nearly three months; and stormed Haiti’s two biggest prisons, releasing more than 4,000 inmates.

The violence led to the resignation of former Prime Minister Ariel Henry in late April and the installation of a transitional presidential council and Conille as the new prime minister.

Diego Da Rin, with the International Crisis Group, noted that gang violence began diminishing in late May, with the first contingent of Kenyans arriving in late June.

He noted that so far, Kenyans appeared to have limited their patrols to neighborhoods in Port-au-Prince that have not been seized by gangs.

No offensive operations just yet

“There really hasn’t been any offensive operations,” he said.

In upcoming months, the Kenyans will be joined by police and soldiers from the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Benin, Chad and Jamaica for a total of 2,500 personnel.

Conille said restoring security is a top priority for him but warned it would take time. He said the objective is to recapture all gang-controlled territory “house by house, neighborhood by neighborhood, community by community.”

The resolution UN authorized the force to deploy for an initial one-year period with a review after nine.

“We need to free Haiti from all sorts of gangs that are killing and raping the population,” Conille said.

Gang violence also has left more than half a million people homeless in recent years as rival gangs fight for control of more territory. More than half of those displaced are women and girls, with many living in crowded and unsanitary makeshift camps and shelters.

On Wednesday (Jul. 17), the U.N. noted that rape is being used in most camps as a deliberate tactic to control women’s access to scarce humanitarian aid.

Sima Bahous, executive director of U.N. women, urged Haiti’s newly appointed government to prevent and respond to such violence.

“The level of insecurity and brutality, including sexual violence, that women are facing at the hands of gangs in Haiti is unprecedented,” she said in a statement. “It must stop now.”