As a result of gang violence, 531 people have been killed in Haiti since the beginning of this year

The United Nations said on Tuesday that about 530 people were killed in Haiti as a result of violence, and gangs kidnapped about 280 people without deterrence, calling for the deployment of a specialized support force.

The United Nations confirmed on Tuesday that about 530 people were killed in Haiti, a large number of them at the hands of snipers, and gangs kidnapped about 280 people without deterrence, calling for the deployment of a specialized support force.

"In the first two weeks of March alone, clashes between gangs left at least 208 dead, 164 injured, and 101 people kidnapped," Marta Hurtado, spokeswoman for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, told reporters. randomly on people inside their homes or on the street.”

Between early January and mid-March, 531 people were killed, 300 injured and 277 kidnapped in gang-related incidents, mostly in the capital, Port-au-Prince, according to information collected by UNHCR Haiti.

"We ask the international community to immediately consider deploying a specialized support force, with a full and accurate plan of action," Hurtado added.

The United Nations confirmed that gangs also use sexual violence as a weapon to terrorize the population, subjugate and punish them, and demand ransoms from the families of the victims.

"We are very concerned because the extreme violence in Haiti is out of control. Clashes between gangs are becoming more violent and frequent as they try to expand their control on the ground in the capital and other areas by targeting people living in areas under the control of their rivals," she said.

It reported that stray bullets sometimes hit students and their teachers during clashes between gangs, while increasing numbers of students and their families are being kidnapped near schools.

As a result, Hurtado said, schools are closing, leaving young people at the mercy of gangs who recruit them by force. The violence is causing people to flee their homes.

The United Nations estimates that in mid-March at least 160,000 people were displaced within the country.

A quarter of the displaced live in makeshift camps with very limited access to basic services such as drinking water and sanitation.