ACAPS Briefing Note: Haiti - Gang Violence (14 July 2021)

Briefing note 14 July 2021 HAITI Gang violence CRISIS IMPACT OVERVIEW • An increase in gang violence and criminal activity in Haiti since 1 June 2021 has been affecting around one -third of the territory of Port-au-Prince. Southern neighbourhoods are the most affected: Bas Delmas, Bel Air, Cité Soleil, Fontamara, Laboule 12, Martissant, and Toussaint Brave townships ( Garda World 18/06/2021) . Violence erupted because of territorial disputes and a reconfiguration of gang alliances ( OCHA 23/06/2021) . Since 1 June, 95 gangs have been clashing in Port-au-Prince in a bid to gain power, looting local businesses and leading to the desertion of the commercial district ( News in America 05/07/2021). Sporadic clashes between gangs are common in Port-au-Prince, but recent incidents are on a much greater scale and systematic. On 24 June, the leader of the G9 gang called for a ‘ revolution’ against the country’s political and business elite, triggering more violence. • 1.5 million people are affected by violence. As at 30 June, 18,100 people were displaced –14,700 of them from Bas Delmas, Cité Soleil, and Martissant. 11, 500 people are missing; they are either trapped in the conflict zone or have fled the town. The G overnment has set up a task force to coordinate the response between national and humanitarian actors ( OCHA 05/07/2021) . • The killing of a police officer in Bas Delmas on 17 June led to a counterattack by police forces with teargas and firefights with the gangs, which forced the population to flee in order to escape the shootings ( OCHA 23/06/2021) . At least eight police officers have been killed and eight police stations attacked since the beginning of June, with theft of ammunition and supplies ( Garda World 18/06/2021) . On 17 June, La P iste – a camp hosting people with disabilities – was set on fire, killing one person and wounding three (La Prensa Latina 27/06/2021) . • On the night between 6–7 July, Haitian P resident Jovenel Moïse was shot and killed, and his wife wounded by gunmen. A least 17 suspects have been detained (The New York Times 10/07/2021) . Interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph was scheduled to leave office that week, as Moïse had appointed Ariel Henry on 5 July to take up the role of Prime Minister. However, as Henry did not officially take office before the assassination, Joseph has now taken command of the G overnment and security services. The legality of Joseph’s current role is contested by Henry (Le Devoir 09/07/2021) . Joseph has declared a two-week state of emergency (Reuters 08/07/2021) . This is likely to result in more violence and instability in the country. ANTICIPATED SCOPE AND SCALE • President Moïse’s death is likely to further destabilise the country’s political situation and cause more violence. The number of people affected by violence is likely to increase, as the Prime Minister launched a manhunt for the killers. Police operations are preventing the population from accessing essential services in many places and have caused an increase in the price of basic goods (OCHA 23/06/2021) . • Gangs continue to gain control over the industrial district of the city, including along the road to the Toussaint Louverture International Airport (OCHA 23/06/2021). The border with the Dominican Republic was closed as at 7 July (Reuters 08 /07/2021) . This is likely to have a negative impact on Haiti’s economy. • The combination of gang violence, political instability, and rapid increase in COVID-19 cases is likely to worsen the humanitarian situation. HUMANITARIAN CONSTRAINTS • Humanitarian access is a major challenge as a result of violence and insecurity. Locating displaced people is difficult. Gang violence has delayed humanitarian assistance and hindered the movement of basic supplies such as food, medicine , and fuel (News in America 05/07/2021) . • The provision of health services is increasingly difficult: 35% of health workers in the Carrefour/Martissant area could not go to work because of violence (OCHA 23/06/2021) . The MSF health centre in Martissant was attacked on 26 June, prompting MSF to suspend its activities in the area. Two humanitarian staff were robbed, and one humanitarian health worker was killed on 25 May (MSF 29/06/2021) . • Repeated shootings affect access to IDP sites in Bas Delmas. Difficult access to the airport limits the ability to deliver assistance. UNHAS flights are currently the safest options to deliver assistance to the south of the country (OCHA 05/07/2021). Road closures in the southern area prevent the delivery of assistance to 14,000 households. NATIONAL REPONSE CAPACITY Fonds d’Assistance Économique et Sociale Direction de la Protection Civile Haiti Red Cross Society Organisation des Coeurs pour le Changement des Enfants Démunis d'Haïti Office National de la Migration INTERNATIONAL REPONSE CAPACITY MSF UN agencies (WFP, UNICEF, IOM) Salvation Army World Renew Solidarités International 1.5 million PEOPLE AFFECTED 18,000 IDPS High risk OF GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE 2 Briefing Note 14 July 2021 humanitarian partners are exploring the relocation of IDPs from the Delmas 103 site. The Eglise Saint Yves site is also overcrowded and lacks basic facilities such as toilets, sleeping spaces, and water (OCHA 05/07/2021). SECTORAL NEEDS Shelter The majority of the IDPs displaced by the current crisis are sheltered in makeshift sites, with limited access to humanitarian assistance. 3,000 IDPs are located in seven sites, while 9,000 are with host families (OCHA 05/07/2021) . Some of the shelters in the seven sites are damaged and need to be repaired, especially as the months of June–November are prone to hurricanes in Haiti. Protection Cases of rape and sexual violence were reported at IDP sites in Carrefour, Delmas, and Eglise Saint Yves. There is a high risk of gender -based violence (GBV) in IDP camps as they are not segregated by household, age, or gender. There are allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation by humanitarian workers in Carrefour (OCHA 05/07/2021) . IOM is conducting training on protection against sexual exploitation and a buse for all the volunteers and humanitarian workers at the Carrefour site. Assessments and data collection on GBV and reproductive health are in progress. 565 IDPs with disabilities are temporarily hosted at a school in Port-au-Prince with limited access to basic items and services (La Prensa Latina 27/06/2021) . They are in urgent need of adequate equipment, as well as access to food, water , and healthcare. The population trapped in the zones affected by gang violence cannot access external assistance and faces increased protection risks. IDPs in Delmas have been threatened by unidentified individuals at night, raising safety concerns (OCHA 05/07/2021). WASH Delmas 103 is the site with the most acute WASH needs. There are currently no running water or handwashing stations, and the site only has four latrines for 500 IDPs. The latrines are full and cannot be emptied. There are cases of diarrh oea in at least one IDP site. Humanitarian partners are working together to install water tanks and rehabilitate the latrines, but access to the site is difficult becaus e of security restrictions. Lack of adequate facilities continues to be an issue, and Health There is currently limited access to health services for both IDPs and host communities because of insecurity. MSF has suspended activities in Martissant after its emergency health centre was attacked on 26 June (MSF 29/06/2021) . Health personnel are also unable to go to work because of violence. A mobile clinic has been deployed in Carrefour to provide healthcare services to pregnant women and GBV victims (OCHA 05/07/2021) . There is an urgent need for healthcare for pregnant and lactating women, older people, children, and people with disabilities. The lack of clean water is likely to cause outbreaks of waterborne diseases (OCHA 05/07/2021) . AGGRAVATING FACTORS COVID-19 The number of COVID- 19 death has quadrupled since May. As at 12 July, there were 19,220 confirmed cases and 467 deaths (WHO accessed 12/07/2021 ). Emergency units of hospitals are overcrowded with people treated for gunshot wounds and COVID-19. There is a shortage of oxygen supply in at least two hospitals (The New Humanitarian 05/07/2021) . In Cité Soleil, gang violence is preventing people with COVID-19 from leaving their homes and receiving adequate treatment at the hospital. Haiti has not started its vaccin ation programme rollout because of a lack of proper storage infrastructure. Gang violence is likely to slow down the vaccination campaign further, preventing access to several parts of the city and the southern Tiburon P eninsula (The New Humanitarian 05/07/2021) . Overcrowded IDP camps with poor hygiene facilities are likely to experience a spread of the disease. 3 Briefing Note 14 July 2021 MAP: IDP SITES LOCATION AS AT 5 JULY 2021 Source: OCHA (05/07/2021) POLITICAL INSTABILITY The death of President Jovenel Moïse risks to cause civil unrest and further violence in the country. He ha d been ruling by decree for over a year; his decision to postpone the elections had led to the dissolution of the Parliament. Opposition leaders had been calling for his resignation since February 2021. Local human rights organisations alleged that President Moïse had reached agreements with the G9 – an alliance of Haiti's major gangs (Insight Crime 23/07/2020) . On the week of 24 June, the leader of G9 announced a ‘ revolution’ against the country’s political and business elite, triggering more violence in the country (Reuters 24/06/2021) . Gang influence and control is likely to increase, worsening political instability and triggering more humanitarian needs in the country. TROPICAL STORM ELSA Tropical Storm Elsa hit Haiti on 3 July, causing the destruction of agricultural land, houses, communication powerlines, and public buildings. T his event highlights the beginning of the hurricane season, which typically goes from June– November. Heavy rains, floods, and landslides are expected in the next six months in Haiti (Logistics Cluster 12/06/2021) . This will likely cause an increase in humanitarian needs. In 2020, Storm Laura caused 31 deaths and destroyed 8,835 houses (OCHA 28/08/2021) . Humanitarian partners have used emergency NFIs planned for the hurricane season to respond to the immediate needs of the population. There is an urgent need to replace them for the next emergency. FOOD INSECURITY 4.4 million people are currently food-insecure and at risk of hunger in Haiti as a result of an increase in food prices and poor harvest caused by frequent natural disasters, including drought and storms (Action Against Hunger 18/12/2020) . Violence has resulted in school closures and prevented 55,000 students from accessing take-home rations as part of the school feeding programme (OCHA 23/06/2021) . The crisis is likely to increase the number of food-insecure people.