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A6 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 17 augusT 2023

U.N. chief urges deployment of police special forces and military

support to combat gangs in Haiti

By EDITH M. LEDERER nents, recruiting children
Associated Press and using sexual violence
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The and rape against women
United Nations chief urged and girls.
the international com- “Gangs have become
munity on Tuesday to de- more structured, feder-
ploy a multinational force ated, and autonomous
comprising “police special in their efforts to confront
forces and military support state authority, weakening
units” to Haiti to combat state institutions, and con-
gangs with sophisticated solidating control over the
weapons and restore se- population,” the secretary-
curity to the impoverished general said. “They target
Caribbean nation. police stations, courts, pris-
Secretary-General António ons, schools, hospitals, and
Guterres said in a 12-page strategic installations such
letter to the U.N. Secu- as ports, oil terminals and
rity Council obtained by major roadways.”
The Associated Press that Haiti’s Prime Minister Ariel
“ Addressing the security United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addresses the assembly during the opening Henry sent an urgent ap-
situation in Haiti requires a session of a three-day U.N. Food and Agriculture Agency’s summit on food systems in Rome, peal last October for “the
range of coercive law en- July 24, 2023. immediate deployment of
forcement measures, in- Associated Press a specialized armed force,
cluding active use of force nya’s offer to lead an in- Haiti’s police, with experts from the north, south and in sufficient quantity” to
in targeted police opera- ternational force as well estimating they now con- east of the country, and stop the gangs. However,
tions against heavily armed as renewed pledges of trol some 80% of the capi- violence is spreading to the no country stepped up to
gangs.” support from the Bahamas tal, Port-au-Prince. There Artibonite region in cen- lead such a force until Ke-
The letter was a response and Jamaica, and the are only about 10,000 po- tral Haiti and other areas, nya’s offer in late July. U.S.
to a Security Council reso- announcement by Anti- lice officers for the coun- blocking the delivery of aid Ambassador Linda Thom-
lution adopted on July 14 gua and Barbuda that it is try’s more than 11 million and goods. as-Greenfield said on Aug.
asking Guterres to come considering contributing to people, and more than 30 He cited reports of gangs 1 that the United States
up with “a full range of the force. He urged more were killed from January to shooting people in public would introduce a U.N.
options” within 30 days to countries, especially from June, according to Human spaces and their homes, Security Council resolution
help combat Haiti’s armed the Americas, to contribute Rights Watch. burning people alive in authorizing Kenya to lead a
gangs including a non-U.N. and “build on this new mo- Guterres said the gangs public transportation ve- multinational police force
multinational force. mentum.” have encircled the capital, hicles, mutilating and ex- to fight the gangs and pro-
Guterres welcomed Ke- Gangs have overpowered effectively cutting roads ecuting perceived oppo- vide 1,000 officers. q

Militia clashes in Libyan capital have

killed 45

By JACK JEFFERY ing to local media reports. ployed to areas where the
Associated Press Hamza was later released fighting was most intense,
CAIRO (AP) — The death as part of deal aimed at including the southern Fer-
toll in this week’s clashes quelling the violence, the naj neighborhood and the
between rival militias in reports said. al-Shouk Road. A situation
Libya’s capital rose to 45 The death toll rose Wednes- room had been set up to
on Wednesday as troops day to 45, up from the 27 monitor developments, but
fanned out across Tripoli dead reported Tuesday, by Wednesday a tentative
to restore calm after a 24- as more casualties were calm had returned to the
hour bout of fighting that confirmed, said Malek Mer- city. Libyan security forces stand guard in Tripoli, Libya, Tuesday,
was the city’s most intense set, the spokesperson for The violence underscored Aug. 16, 2023.
violence this year. Libya’s Emergency Medi- the fragility of war-torn Associated Press
The clashes erupted late on cine and Support Center. Libya following the 2011 and the west, each sup- armed hostilities and to en-
Monday between militia- An additional 146 were in- uprising turned civil war, ported by an array of well- gage in dialogue in order
men from the 444 brigade jured, up from 106 on Tues- which toppled and later armed militias and different to de-escalate the situation
and the Special Deter- day. It remains unclear how killed longtime dictator foreign governments. Both and restore calm.”
rence Force, and contin- many of the dead were mi- Moammar Gadhafi. Amid of Libya’s legislative cham- Tripoli has seen similar epi-
ued into Tuesday evening. litiamen or civilians. the chaos, militias grew in bers called for an end to sodes of violence in recent
Tensions flared after Mah- Libyan security forces pa- wealth and power, particu- the bloodshed in separate years, although most have
moud Hamza, a senior trolled the streets and larly in Tripoli and the west statements on Tuesday. only lasted a couple of
commander of the 444 fanned out across Tripoli of the country. In a statement issued hours. Last August, clashes
brigade, was allegedly de- on Wednesday. The coun- Since 2014, Libya has been Wednesday, The European between two other militia
tained by the rival group at try’s Interior Ministry said divided between rival ad- Union called on “all parties active in the capital killed
an airport in Tripoli, accord- security forces were de- ministrations in the east to continue to refrain from at least 23 people.q