Haiti’s insecurity worsening as gangs seize more territory – UN rights expert

A youth plays with a ring at the end of a wire inside a school where people displaced by gang violence have taken refuge for over a year in Port-au-Prince, Haiti (Odelyn Joseph/AP)

A UN human rights expert has warned that gang violence is spreading across Haiti as a UN-backed mission targeting criminals in the troubled Caribbean country remains underfunded and understaffed.

Haiti’s National Police still lack the “logistical and technical capacity” to fight gangs, which he said are encroaching on new territories as arms and ammunition flow into Haiti despite an international embargo, said William O’Neill, who visited Haiti this week.