As Haiti commemorates the 15th anniversary of a devastating earthquake that claimed the lives of a quarter of a million people, the country is facing a bleak future filled with hunger, displacement, and the looming threat of street gangs. While the United Nations is providing assistance, it is not enough to address the escalating crisis.
By James Blears
On January 12th, 2010, a 7-magnitude earthquake struck Haiti, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. The disaster claimed the lives of an estimated 250,000 Haitians and 102 UN Peacekeepers as their headquarters in Port Au Prince crumbled under the force of the quake.
Fast forward to today, and Haiti is still grappling with the aftermath of the earthquake. Despite the return of a peacekeeping contingent led by 400 Kenyan Police, the country remains plagued by lawlessness and disorder, with street gangs holding control over much of the capital, Port Au Prince, and its surrounding areas. France and the United States are providing support, but the situation continues to deteriorate.
Poverty, criminality, violence, displacement
According to the UN’s Human Rights Office, last year alone saw 5,600 murders, 2,200 injuries, 1,500 kidnappings, and a mass exodus of people fleeing violence. The neighboring Dominican Republic expelled over 200,000 Haitian migrants and is erecting a border fence to separate the two nations on the island of Hispaniola.
The assassination of Haiti’s 43rd President, Jovenal Moise, in July 2021 by a group of mercenaries from Colombia further plunged the country into chaos. Haiti’s history is marred by decades of dictatorship and turmoil, with the Duvalier regime ruling with an iron fist until their eventual downfall in the 1980s.
Despite these challenges, the international community’s response has been lukewarm at best, with Haiti on the brink of despair with each passing day.
