Haitian gangs escalate violence and expand attacks outside the capital, top UN official says

Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The top U.N. official in Haiti says gangs have escalated their violence and expanded operations outside the capital, even attacking small boats and kidnapping personnel from cargo shipping companies. Special representative Maria Isabel Salvador told the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday that the situation has worsened in the last three months, with more than 700,000 people now displaced in the country and the political process facing “significant challenges.” She said Haitians across the country continue to suffer as gang activities escalate and expand, “spreading terror and fear, overwhelming the national security apparatus” and worsening a dire  humanitarian situation.