(United Nations) The people of Haiti are living in an “absolutely nightmarish situation”, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres insisted on Monday, repeating before a meeting of the Security Council his call for the dispatch of an international armed force. to deal with the humanitarian crisis.
Posted at 2:08 p.m.
“The situation is absolutely dramatic. The port is blocked by the gangs who don’t let the fuel out […] Without fuel, there is no water. And there is cholera”, the treatment of which requires good hydration, he told the press.
“So it’s an absolutely nightmarish situation for the people of Haiti, mainly in Port-au-Prince.”
The Varreux oil terminal, the largest in the country, has been blocked by armed gangs since mid-September, paralyzing the entire country.
In this context, the Secretary General recently called in a letter to the Security Council to “urgently examine the request of the Haitian government to deploy without delay a specialized international armed force to deal with the humanitarian crisis”.
Thousands of Haitians took to the streets the next day to denounce the government’s appeal for foreign aid.
“We need armed action to liberate the port and allow the establishment of a humanitarian corridor,” Antonio Guterres repeated on Monday.
PHOTO EVAN VUCCI, ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres
“I’m talking about something that must be done solely on the basis of humanitarian criteria, regardless of the political dimensions of the problem that must be solved by the Haitians themselves,” he said.
The Security Council is due to discuss the situation in the country on Monday afternoon.
According to a draft resolution obtained by AFP, still under discussion and which will be put to the vote later, the members of the Council could “encourage” the governments to “urgently consider” the deployment of such a multinational force in Haiti.
The text focuses mainly on the establishment of a “targeted” arms embargo to deprive certain individuals and entities of it.
It also provides for a travel ban and a freeze on the assets of individuals and entities linked to armed groups and criminal networks.
At this point, the only one mentioned is Jimmy Cherizier, nicknamed “Barbecue”, “one of the most influential gang leaders” who blocks the Varreux terminal with his gang.
Regarding cholera, which has returned to the country after three years of absence, the spokesperson for Antonio Guterres reported on Monday 66 cases now confirmed, 564 suspected cases and 22 deaths mainly in Port-au-Prince and around. To these cases are added those of the prison of the capital: 271 suspected cases, 12 confirmed, 14 dead.