Description: Members of the notorious Viv Ansanm gang alliance were reported to have set the entire town of Labodrie on fire and killed more than 40 civilians in retaliation for the murder of one of the gang’s leaders. UN Secretary General Antonio Gutteres, condemned the attacks in the strongest possible terms and called for the joint proposition from the US and Panama to be adopted. Panama and the US proposed the security mission in the country to be strengthen with additional 5 thousand troops who would assist local units and the security mission led by Kenya in suppressing the gangs. The humanitarian situation in the country is dire, with 1.3 million people displaced and additional 6 million people in need of humanitarian aid.
Impact: Gang violence in Haiti continues to spiral in absence of an internationally led security mission and efforts to facilitate stable flow of humanitarian aid into the country. The joint proposal by the US and Panama is awaiting approval from the UN Security Council while other factors such as the dissolution of USAID are impacting the flow of humanitarian aid into the country. Gangs currently hold almost the entirety of the country’s capital, Port au Prince and are continuing to expand operations across the country with indications of assembling a larger coalition which could potentially challenge the fragile internationally – led security force. The humanitarian and security situation are expected to significantly deteriorate unless the proposal by the US and Panama is not adopted as a potential counterbalance to the rising power of the armed gangs in the country.