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A6 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 26 sepTember 2024
Dominican president warns of ‘drastic measures’ if anti-gang

mission in Haiti fails

By DÁNICA COTO it to close for nearly three
Associated Press months, and stormed Haiti’s
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) two biggest prisons, releas-
— The president of the Do- ing roughly 4,000 inmates.
minican Republic warned The attacks led to the res-
Wednesday that his admin- ignation of former Prime
istration would take “drastic Minister Ariel Henry and the
measures” to protect the creation of a transitional
country if a U.N.-backed presidential council.
mission in neighboring Haiti “More than three years of
targeting gang violence instability in our neighbor-
fails. ing country has put signifi-
Luis Abinader did not pro- cant pressure on our own
vide details of what action security,” Abinader said.
he might take during his “The Dominican state has
speech at the U.N. General shouldered a high respon-
Assembly in New York. sibility in the Haitian crisis,
Gangs in Haiti control far more than should be ex-
80% of the capital, Port- pected of it.”
au-Prince, and they have Abinader said that last
grown more powerful since year, 10% of medical ap-
the July 2021 assassination pointments involved Hai-
of President Jovenel Moïse. tians and that 147,000 of
More than 3,600 people The social media slogan #HaitiCantWait is displayed as Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 200,000 foreign minors in
have been reported killed takes part in high level meeting with an advisory group on Haiti at the United Nations headquarters the Dominican education
during the first half of this on Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. Associated Press system are Haitian in origin.
year, a more than 70% in- “The crisis in Haiti war-
crease compared with the joined by nearly two dozen mission needs to be fully es- cern over the future of the rants particular attention,”
same period last year. The police and soldiers from Ja- tablished so that free and mission. “We cannot allow he said. “We can’t do it
violence also has left nearly maica and two senior mili- transparent elections can the effort made to date to alone.”
700,000 Haitians home- tary officers from Belize. be held. fail. If that were to happen, Under Abinader, Domini-
less in recent years and The personnel, however, Haiti has not held elections Haiti’s collapse would be can officials last year de-
thousands have fled Haiti, falls significantly short of the since 2016, and a transition- imminent.” ported more than 170,000
which shares the island of 2,500 pledged by various al presidential council was Earlier this year, gangs people believed to be Hai-
Hispaniola with the Domini- countries for the mission, ordered to do so by Febru- launched coordinated tians, according to govern-
can Republic. which the U.S. government ary 2026. attacks targeting critical ment data.
Abinader thanked Kenya, warns is lacking resources “Practically one year from government infrastructure. But the U.N.’s International
which is leading the mis- as it considers a possible the holding of elections, They raided more than Organization for Migration
sion in Haiti with nearly 400 U.N. peacekeeping mis- the conditions are still not in two dozen police stations, has estimated the num-
police officers from the East sion. place to do so,” Abinader opened fire on the main in- ber is closer to more than
African country recently Abinader said the current said as he expressed con- ternational airport, forcing 224,000.q

U.N. chief criticizes divided Security Council for failure of

leadership to end wars, calls for unity

By EDITH M. LEDERER and United Nations chief sharp- meeting Wednesday for a on Ukraine because Russia follow the U.N. Charter and
MICHAEL WEISSENSTEIN As- ly criticized the powerful failure of leadership to end is a veto-wielding member international law.

sociated Press but deeply divided Secu- wars in Gaza, Ukraine, Su- and a party to the conflict “A divided council can-
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The rity Council at a high-level dan and beyond. invading its neighbor in vio- not,” he said. “It is impera-
“Peace demands action. lation of the U.N. Charter tive that council members
And peace demands lead- which requires all members spare no effort to work
ership,” Secretary-Gener- to ensure the sovereignty together to find common
al Antonio Guterres told and territorial integrity of all ground” as it has done
the 15-member council other nations. overseeing 11 peacekeep-
charged with ensuring in- It has been stymied in tak- ing operations on three
ternational peace and se- ing tough action on the continents and authorizing
curity. “Instead, we’re see- Israel-Hamas war in Gaza humanitarian aid to global
ing deepening geopolitical because of Israel’s close hotspots. Slovenia, which
divisions and mistrust.” ally, the United States, an- holds the Security Coun-
He pointed to repeated vi- other veto-wielding mem- cil presidency this month,
olations of the U.N. Charter ber. And in Sudan, there chose the topic, “Leader-
and international law, con- are divisions among some ship for Peace” for its sig-
flicts multiplying and be- members supporting the nature event during the
coming more deadly, and warring rival generals. annual gathering of world
civilians paying the steep- The secretary-general leaders at the U.N. General
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks est price. said peace is possible in Assembly and invited lead-
during a Security Council meeting at United Nations
headquarters, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. The council has been Ukraine, Gaza and Sudan if ers from the 15 council na-
Associated Press blocked from any action council members unite and tions to attend.q