Three million children in Haiti are in need of humanitarian aid due to gang violence that is preventing the delivery of food and other essential goods. This was reported by the head of the UN Children's Agency, Catherine Russell, at a meeting of the UN Security Council.
Russell stressed that the situation in Haiti, which is under attack by gangs, is catastrophic and getting worse every day. In many parts of the country, basic services have stopped working.
Meanwhile, the transitional presidential council to govern the country has not yet been completed. Haiti has been in conflict with gangs for years, but armed groups stepped up their attacks in late February, when Prime Minister Ariel Henry visited Kenya to broker an agreement to host international security forces in the country.
However, Henry was unable to return to Haiti as gangs attacked the international airport, forcing it to close.
The shootings and the combined actions of gangs to remove the prime minister caused an escalation of the situation, as a result of which hundreds of prisoners escaped from the prison to Port-au-Prince.
The Haitian government declared a state of emergency and imposed a curfew on March 3 following a massive prison break. The city of Port-au-Prince is under siege as criminal gangs have taken control of much of the area.
Earlier, the UN reported more than 1,500 deaths due to the activities of gangs in the country.
