Haiti Nearing 'Civil War' Amid Escalating Violence, Humanitarian Group Warns

The continuing violence in Haiti has led one humanitarian group to believe that the country is currently on the "brink of a civil war."

Humanitarian group Mercy Corps noted on Monday that the current security situation in Haiti, with the rising prices of commodities, has also triggered a widespread hunger in the nation, which was worsened by the violence between criminal gangs and civilians, according to Al Jazeera.

The group added that families are losing access to basic necessities such as food and clean water.

Gangs have been controlling large parts of the city of Port-au-Prince.

Mercy Corps country director for Haiti, Lunise Jules, said that the population has been "pushed to make impossible decisions" such as choosing between going to the hospital or health facilities to treat cholera or facing the risk of being kidnapped and killed by Haitian gangs.

Jules added that many residents are starting to ask, "Why not seek revenge and take justice into their own hands."

Aside from gang violence, residents have also resorted to the use of force, most recently last week.

Haiti Residents Attacking Gang Members

A crowd in Haiti lynched more than a dozen suspected gang members, with footage showing burning and charred bodies with tires around them.

Residents speaking to media outlets Reuters and AFP said they believed the people lynched were gang members, as reported by CNN.

One local resident said it was 3 a.m. when gangs invaded them and started shooting. The resident added that the neighborhood is a peaceful area, with its citizens being nonviolent.

Haitian National Police said in a statement that they stopped and searched the victims in a minibus in the neighborhood, wherein they confiscated weapons and other equipment. More than a dozen individuals riding the vehicle were lynched by neighborhood members.

One 15-year-old resident said that they will defend themselves if the gangs came to invade them.

Another resident said that they are on their own and "have nothing."

Haiti's Ongoing Violence

The violence in Haiti started with the nation's political unrest after its president was assassinated by 28 foreign mercenaries.

Prime Minister Ariel Henry was also unable to establish any authority and address the crisis.

Criminal groups have started to hold the nation through violent ways, such as killing, gang rapes, and kidnappings, to control the population.

The United Nations went on to say that gangs have control of 80% of the country's capital while others claim it is 100%, as detailed by Daily Mail.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres stated that the violence in Haiti matches the level of violence similar to a country at war.

In the first quarter of 2022, more than 60 criminal incidents were reported, according to Maria Isabel Salvador, the UN's special envoy for Haiti.

In the same period this year, Salvador said that the figure more than doubled, while in the years 2000 to 2022, at least 21 journalists were killed in Haiti.

READ MORE: Haiti Gang Led by an Ex-Cop Declares 'Revolution' as Violence Surge Fueled by Poverty

This article is owned by Latin Post

Written by Mary Webber

WATCH: Haiti in crisis: UN says gang violence on level of a war zone - from Al Jazeera English