Latest news with #SamuelTompoiKaetuai
Washington Post
30-03-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
UN warns of 'severe' human rights abuses in Haiti as illegal weapons proliferate
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — A steady stream of illegal weapons smuggled into Haiti is fueling an increase in gang violence and leading to severe human rights abuses, according to a U.N. report released Thursday. More than 4,200 people were killed from July to February, and another 1,356 were injured, the report found. It was issued after William O'Neill, the U.N. human rights commissioner's expert on Haiti, recently visited the troubled Caribbean country. While much of the violence has been unleashed by gangs who formed a coalition last year known as ' Viv Ansamn ,' a growing number of people are being killed by self-defense groups and mobs, including at least 77 suspected gang members slain in November after gunmen tried to attack a community in the Port-au-Prince capital, the report stated. It also found that the number of people killed and injured by authorities fighting gangs 'remained extremely high.' More than 2,000 people were killed during police operations from July to February, a 60% increase compared with the 1,253 killings reported from February to July of 2024. Some 73% of victims killed by law enforcement were reportedly gang members, but 27% 'were not associated with gangs and were often struck by stray bullets while in the streets or at home,' the report said. It noted that in some cases, police opened fire from armored vehicles 'where people were walking or selling goods on the streets.' It also said police have been reportedly involved in summary executions of suspected gang members, their families, 'or individuals who, when intercepted, were unable to provide identification or offer a sufficient explanation for their presence in the area.' The report stated that nearly 1,000 firearms belonging to Haiti's National Police have been diverted in the past four years, and that credible sources have said officers are selling some weapons on the black market. A police spokesperson did not immediately return a message requesting comment. The report said gangs also obtain illegal weapons from private security companies that use them. Overall, an estimated 270,000 to 500,000 illegal weapons are circulating across Haiti. 'The use of these firearms has fueled a destructive cycle of violence in Haiti, leading to severe human rights abuses,' the report stated. Detecting and seizing illegal weapons remains a challenge given what the report said was severe underfunding and understaffing at Haiti's customs and police departments, as well as a lack of resources and technology coupled with corruption and lack of oversight. It noted that a U.N.-backed mission led by Kenyan police to help fight gangs in Haiti has only about 40% of the 2,500 personnel envisioned. One Kenyan officer, Samuel Tompoi Kaetuai, was killed in February in Haiti's central Artibonite region. A second officer, identified by Haiti's government as Benedict Kabiru, is considered dead after he went missing when gangs attacked his group on Monday as they tried to rescue Haitian police stuck in a ditch that officials believe was dug on purpose by gunmen. ____ Follow AP's coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at
NBC News
28-03-2025
- NBC News
UN warns of ‘severe' human rights abuses in Haiti as illegal weapons proliferate
A steady stream of illegal weapons smuggled into Haiti is fueling an increase in gang violence and leading to severe human rights abuses, according to a U.N. report released Thursday. More than 4,200 people were killed from July to February, and another 1,356 were injured, the report found. It was issued after William O'Neill, the U.N. human rights commissioner's expert on Haiti, recently visited the troubled Caribbean country. While much of the violence has been unleashed by gangs who formed a coalition last year known as ' Viv Ansamn,' a growing number of people are being killed by self-defense groups and mobs, including at least 77 suspected gang members slain in November after gunmen tried to attack a community in the Port-au-Prince capital, the report stated. It also found that the number of people killed and injured by authorities fighting gangs 'remained extremely high.' More than 2,000 people were killed during police operations from July to February, a 60% increase compared with the 1,253 killings reported from February to July of 2024. Some 73% of victims killed by law enforcement were reportedly gang members, but 27% 'were not associated with gangs and were often struck by stray bullets while in the streets or at home,' the report said. It noted that in some cases, police opened fire from armored vehicles 'where people were walking or selling goods on the streets.' It also said police have been reportedly involved in summary executions of suspected gang members, their families, 'or individuals who, when intercepted, were unable to provide identification or offer a sufficient explanation for their presence in the area.' The report stated that nearly 1,000 firearms belonging to Haiti's National Police have been diverted in the past four years, and that credible sources have said officers are selling some weapons on the black market. A police spokesperson did not immediately return a message requesting comment. The report said gangs also obtain illegal weapons from private security companies that use them. Overall, an estimated 270,000 to 500,000 illegal weapons are circulating across Haiti. 'The use of these firearms has fueled a destructive cycle of violence in Haiti, leading to severe human rights abuses,' the report stated. Detecting and seizing illegal weapons remains a challenge given what the report said was severe underfunding and understaffing at Haiti's customs and police departments, as well as a lack of resources and technology coupled with corruption and lack of oversight. It noted that a U.N.-backed mission led by Kenyan police to help fight gangs in Haiti has only about 40% of the 2,500 personnel envisioned. One Kenyan officer, Samuel Tompoi Kaetuai, was killed in February in Haiti's central Artibonite region. A second officer, identified by Haiti's government as Benedict Kabiru, is considered dead after he went missing when gangs attacked his group on Monday as they tried to rescue Haitian police stuck in a ditch that officials believe was dug on purpose by gunmen.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Yahoo
UN warns of 'severe' human rights abuses in Haiti as illegal weapons proliferate
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A steady stream of illegal weapons smuggled into Haiti is fueling an increase in gang violence and leading to severe human rights abuses, according to a U.N. report released Thursday. More than 4,200 people were killed from July to February, and another 1,356 were injured, the report found. It was issued after William O'Neill, the U.N. human rights commissioner's expert on Haiti, recently visited the troubled Caribbean country. While much of the violence has been unleashed by gangs who formed a coalition last year known as ' Viv Ansamn,' a growing number of people are being killed by self-defense groups and mobs, including at least 77 suspected gang members slain in November after gunmen tried to attack a community in the Port-au-Prince capital, the report stated. It also found that the number of people killed and injured by authorities fighting gangs 'remained extremely high.' More than 2,000 people were killed during police operations from July to February, a 60% increase compared with the 1,253 killings reported from February to July of 2024. Some 73% of victims killed by law enforcement were reportedly gang members, but 27% 'were not associated with gangs and were often struck by stray bullets while in the streets or at home,' the report said. It noted that in some cases, police opened fire from armored vehicles 'where people were walking or selling goods on the streets.' It also said police have been reportedly involved in summary executions of suspected gang members, their families, 'or individuals who, when intercepted, were unable to provide identification or offer a sufficient explanation for their presence in the area.' The report stated that nearly 1,000 firearms belonging to Haiti's National Police have been diverted in the past four years, and that credible sources have said officers are selling some weapons on the black market. A police spokesperson did not immediately return a message requesting comment. The report said gangs also obtain illegal weapons from private security companies that use them. Overall, an estimated 270,000 to 500,000 illegal weapons are circulating across Haiti. 'The use of these firearms has fueled a destructive cycle of violence in Haiti, leading to severe human rights abuses,' the report stated. Detecting and seizing illegal weapons remains a challenge given what the report said was severe underfunding and understaffing at Haiti's customs and police departments, as well as a lack of resources and technology coupled with corruption and lack of oversight. It noted that a U.N.-backed mission led by Kenyan police to help fight gangs in Haiti has only about 40% of the 2,500 personnel envisioned. One Kenyan officer, Samuel Tompoi Kaetuai, was killed in February in Haiti's central Artibonite region. A second officer, identified by Haiti's government as Benedict Kabiru, is considered dead after he went missing when gangs attacked his group on Monday as they tried to rescue Haitian police stuck in a ditch that officials believe was dug on purpose by gunmen. ____ Follow AP's coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at
The Independent
27-03-2025
- The Independent
UN warns of 'severe' human rights abuses in Haiti as illegal weapons proliferate
A steady stream of illegal weapons smuggled into Haiti is fueling an increase in gang violence and leading to severe human rights abuses, according to a U.N. report released Thursday. More than 4,200 people were killed from July to February, and another 1,356 were injured, the report found. It was issued after William O'Neill, the U.N. human rights commissioner's expert on Haiti, recently visited the troubled Caribbean country. While much of the violence has been unleashed by gangs who formed a coalition last year known as ' Viv Ansamn,' a growing number of people are being killed by self-defense groups and mobs, including at least 77 suspected gang members slain in November after gunmen tried to attack a community in the Port-au-Prince capital, the report stated. It also found that the number of people killed and injured by authorities fighting gangs 'remained extremely high.' More than 2,000 people were killed during police operations from July to February, a 60% increase compared with the 1,253 killings reported from February to July of 2024. Some 73% of victims killed by law enforcement were reportedly gang members, but 27% 'were not associated with gangs and were often struck by stray bullets while in the streets or at home,' the report said. It noted that in some cases, police opened fire from armored vehicles 'where people were walking or selling goods on the streets.' It also said police have been reportedly involved in summary executions of suspected gang members, their families, 'or individuals who, when intercepted, were unable to provide identification or offer a sufficient explanation for their presence in the area.' The report stated that nearly 1,000 firearms belonging to Haiti's National Police have been diverted in the past four years, and that credible sources have said officers are selling some weapons on the black market. A police spokesperson did not immediately return a message requesting comment. The report said gangs also obtain illegal weapons from private security companies that use them. Overall, an estimated 270,000 to 500,000 illegal weapons are circulating across Haiti. 'The use of these firearms has fueled a destructive cycle of violence in Haiti, leading to severe human rights abuses,' the report stated. Detecting and seizing illegal weapons remains a challenge given what the report said was severe underfunding and understaffing at Haiti's customs and police departments, as well as a lack of resources and technology coupled with corruption and lack of oversight. It noted that a U.N.-backed mission led by Kenyan police to help fight gangs in Haiti has only about 40% of the 2,500 personnel envisioned. One Kenyan officer, Samuel Tompoi Kaetuai, was killed in February in Haiti's central Artibonite region. A second officer, identified by Haiti's government as Benedict Kabiru, is considered dead after he went missing when gangs attacked his group on Monday as they tried to rescue Haitian police stuck in a ditch that officials believe was dug on purpose by gunmen. ____
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Yahoo
Kenyan mission in Haiti says one of its cops is missing. Gang videos show lifeless body
Another member of the international armed forced tasked with combating criminal gangs in Haiti has been killed after gangs on Tuesday ambushed three armored vehicles and set fire to them. The Kenya-led Multinational Security Support mission confirmed in a press statement that one of its police officers was missing, and efforts were under way to locate him. But soon after, the body of a lifeless police officer lying on dirt while dressed in camouflage and being physically assaulted by armed gang members began popping up in WhatsApp message groups. Gang members also shared videos celebrating the burning of armored vehicles belonging to the Kenyans. A third vehicle that was set ablaze belonged to the Haiti National Police. The death of the Kenyan policeman, if confirmed, would mark the second time an officer with the security support team has been killed in Haiti since the force began deploying in June. Earlier this month, the body of Samuel Tompoi Kaetuai, a father of two who was newly married, arrived in Kenya after he was killed in Haiti last month during an operation against the same Gran Grief gang in the Artibonite region responsible for Tuesday's violence. A Haiti National police source said the agency was still trying to sort out the details of the day's events, which involved violent clashes with the Gran Grif gang throughout the day in the area of Petite Rivière de l'Artibonite. The attack in the Artibonite region comes amid an ongoing siege of Port-au-Prince by members of a powerful gang coalition. On Tuesday, gangs perched themselves in a community called Clemenceau about 17 minutes from another rural hamlet, Belot, in the mountains of Kenscoff above the capital. They were planning to launch attacks against the remaining areas they do not control on two fronts from downtown and from the mountains, a source said. The continuing attacks have been accompanied by the burning of buildings and a rise in kidnappings, with gang suspected of abducting people to use as human shields against police drone attacks. Since last month, a government task force has been using explosive drones to target gang strongholds. While the drones have yet to take out any key gang leaders, they have put gangs on the defensive. The statement from the Kenyan-led security mission said the incident invoving its officer happened at around 4: 30 p.m. A Haiti National Police armored vehicle was patrolling the main Carrefour Paye-Savien road in the Pont-Sondé area of the Artibonite region when it became stuck in a ditch suspected of having been intentionally dug by gangs to trap vehicles, the mission said. In response, two Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles, or MRAPS, operated by Kenyan police officers, were dispatched from Pont-Sondé to assist in the recovery. 'Unfortunately, during the rescue operation, one of the MRAPs also became stuck, while the other suffered a mechanical failure. As rescue teams attempted to manage the situation, suspected gang members, hiding in ambush, launched an attack,' the release said. 'Following this incident, an officer from the Kenyan contingent of the MSS remains missing. Specialized teams have been deployed to conduct a search and determine his location.' The mission has struggled to make inroads against gangs, while at the same time facing funding constraints as well as a lack of officers and equipment. The U.S. State Department said on Wednesday that Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who will meet with several Caribbean leaders in Jamaica, spoke with Kenya President William Ruto on Tuesday ahead of the meeting. Ruto said on X that Rubio 'reaffirmed the strong U.S. support for the Kenya-led effort to stabilize Haiti.' Rubio will discuss the dire situation in Haiti with the head of Haiti's Presidential Transitional Council, Fritz Alphonse Jean, in Kingston as well as with other Caribbean leaders. 'We all know and we share the deep commitment to tackling this challenge in Haiti,' Mauricio Claver-Carone, Trump's envoy for Latin America and the Caribbean, said Tuesday in a preview of Rubio's visit for journalists. 'The secretary is obviously very familiar with the challenges posed there. It's an intricate part of the community that the secretary comes from, and obviously something we've been dealing with for a long time; and look to work with our Caribbean neighbors in handling that particular challenge in this regards.'
