Updated
Updated · ABC News · Sep 3
International Force Deploys to Haiti to Curb Gangs and Enable 1st Election in 10 Years
Updated
Updated · ABC News · Sep 3

International Force Deploys to Haiti to Curb Gangs and Enable 1st Election in 10 Years

3 articles · Updated · ABC News · Sep 3

Summary

  • A new international force is now operating in Haiti to help wrest control from gangs and make possible the country’s first election in more than a decade.
  • More than 1 million people have been displaced as gang rule deepens, and Haiti now has the world’s highest homicide rate, underscoring why outside support is being brought in.
  • Port-au-Prince has become a war zone where gangs act with near impunity, while local police patrol with fewer officers and weaker firepower than the gunmen they pursue.
  • The deployment is aimed at restoring enough security for voting, a test of whether Haiti can reverse entrenched gang control and restart its stalled political process.

Insights

With children now making up half of Haiti's gangs, can a new international force restore order without devastating a lost generation?
Can Haiti safely hold its first elections in a decade this December, or will entrenched criminal networks successfully hold the nation hostage?