UN Secretary General António Guterres visited Haiti on Tuesday, where surging gang violence has left more than one in 10 people homeless.
New statistics released by the UN reveal that 2,300 people have been killed across Haiti so far this year, with another 100 kidnapped, while 1.5 million have been displaced.
Guterres’ one-day visit to Port-au-Prince comes after more than 30 people were killed, injured or missing last weekend in Cité Soleil, a seaside slum, according to Cooperative for Peace and Development, a local human rights organisation.
“Gang violence is paralyzing Haiti, its economy, education system & aid delivery. But the situation can be turned around,” Guterres wrote in a post on X.
His convoy sped past a neighbourhood once fully controlled by gangs that left in their wake decimated car dealerships, abandoned homes and dozens of concrete buildings pockmarked with bullet holes.
