UN warns of more Haitian children in crossfire as gang recruitment grows

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By Sarah Morland

(Reuters) -Haitian gangs’ growing recruitment of children means it is inevitable minors will be caught in the crossfire, a U.N. official said on Tuesday, vowing to train armed personnel who deploy to fight those gangs as part of a newly mandated force.

There has been an increase in gang recruitment of minors this year, with children as young as 10 joining, and they likely represent up to half of all gang members, Roberto Benes, UNICEF regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean, told a press briefing.

The conflict between heavily armed Haitian gangs – now largely grouped behind a single alliance – and security forces has escalated for years.

The U.N. Security Council in 2023 mandated a Kenyan-led force to help police restore order, but the under-supplied and under-manned force struggled to hold back gangs’ advances. Last month, the Council voted to restructure the force.

The new model, the Gang Suppression Force, would also rely on substantial voluntary contributions that have yet to materialize.

“We have all mechanisms in place to ensure that whoever will be mandated on the ground to actively carry out this operation is properly trained,” Benes said about the force.

UNICEF last week said that it had verified hundreds of cases of recruitment, with young children forced to carry weapons or serve as lookouts. Girls, particularly, face risks of sexual violence.

One in four Haitian children are out of school, often because the buildings are inaccessible, occupied or because their families were forced to move due to the violence, Benes added. He said 680,000 are displaced – nearly double the figure a year ago.

(Reporting by Sarah Morland; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)