Cristiana Mesquita and Dánica Coto (Associated Press) report on a plea to the world by head of Haiti’s transitional presidential council Laurent Saint-Cyr to help address gang violence and widespread hunger. See full article and photo gallery at AP News.
One of Haiti’s leaders on Thursday asked the world to help his troubled Caribbean country fight what he characterized as a war against relentless gang violence and widespread hunger.
Laurent Saint-Cyr, head of Haiti’s transitional presidential council, addressed the U.N. General Assembly in New York, saying that immediate action was needed because people were dying daily across Haiti. “Just a four-hour plane ride from here, a human tragedy is unfolding,” he said. “Every day, innocent lives are extinguished. … Entire neighborhoods are disappearing.”’
“It’s important to say this: Haiti is experiencing war, a war between criminals that want to impose violence as a social order and an armed population that is fighting for human dignity and freedom,” Saint-Cyr said. [. . .]
Last year, a U.N.-backed mission led by Kenyan police officers launched operations in Haiti meant to help an understaffed and underfunded local police department fight back against the gangs. But more than a year has passed, and the mission still has less than 1,000 personnel, far below the 2,500 envisioned, and some $112 million in its trust fund — about 14% of the estimated $800 million needed a year.
The U.S. and Panama have urged the U.N. Security Council to authorize a new force of 5,550 in Haiti, a proposal backed by Saint-Cyr. “It is crucial to mobilize a strong force with a clear mandate and with adequate material, logistical and financial resources,” he said. [. . .]
For full article and photo gallery, see https://apnews.com/article/haiti-un-gang-violence-shelter-camps-a99f965d40c2341ed197aae6c0e0e3d2
[Shown above AP Photo/Richard Drew: Franck Laurent Saint-Cyr addresses the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025.]
Cristiana Mesquita and Dánica Coto (Associated Press) report on a plea to the world by head of Haiti’s transitional presidential council Laurent Saint-Cyr to help address gang violence and widespread hunger. See full article and photo gallery at AP News. One of Haiti’s leaders on Thursday asked the world to help his troubled Caribbean country
