Grapevine

At least 3,661 killed in ‘senseless’ Haiti gang violence this year: UN

UN rights chief calls for crackdown on arms trafficking that fuels ‘criminality’ and widens humanitarian crisis.

At least 3,661 people have been killed in Haiti in the first half of this year amid the “senseless” gang violence that has engulfed the country, according to the United Nations.

The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said on Friday that the death toll between January and June – which included 100 children – showed that last year’s “high levels of violence” had been maintained.

“No more lives should be lost to this senseless criminality,” said UN rights chief Volker Turk in a statement.

Haiti was already reeling from years of unrest as powerful armed groups – often with ties to the country’s political and business leaders – vied for influence and control of territory.