Antonio Guterres presses for an international ‘rapid action force’ to help Haitian police tackle spiralling gang violence.
Ednews informs via AlJazeera that Antonio Guterres arrived in Haiti on his first visit as UN secretary-general in a bid to shine a spotlight on the Caribbean nation’s worsening plight and request a multinational force to stabilise the country.
“I’m in Port-au-Prince to express my full solidarity with the Haitian people and call on the international community to continue to stand with Haiti, including with a robust international force to assist the Haitian National Police,” Guterres said on Twitter a few minutes after his arrival on Saturday.
“This is not the time to forget Haiti.”
Guterres was expected to meet Prime Minister Ariel Henry, as well as other political leaders and members of civil society, his spokesperson said.
The world body’s leader has raised the alarm about the situation in the Western Hemisphere’s poorest country, which has been racked by gang violence, a worsening public health situation, and political instability.
Guterres told the UN Security Council in April that he viewed the insecurity in the capital Port-au-Prince as “comparable to countries in armed conflict”, and said Haitians face one of the worst human rights crises in decades.
