Top US diplomat says visit to Haiti was full of 'painful anecdotes' as gangs continue to control the country

The situation in Haiti remains dire. Years of political and social instability continue to push the Caribbean nation into a deeper crisis, and although the United Nations says there are "signs of hope," others disagree.

Mike Waltz, the United States ambassador to the United Nations, visited Haiti earlier this month. In addition to saying the international community remains committed to combating Haitian gangs and helping restore territory and stability across the country, Waltz said his visit was also marked by "painful anecdotes" that underscored the reality Haitians continue to face.

As reported by the Miami Herald, Waltz shared some of the disturbing experiences he learned about during his visit to Haiti. In remarks to the U.N. Security Council earlier this week, Waltz recounted an incident involving a volunteer with the Gang Suppression Force who was helping clear gang blockades from the streets. According to Waltz, gang members kidnapped the young man's family and held them hostage, forcing him to trade his own life to save theirs.

"They executed him in the streets to send a message. He traded his life for that of his family," Waltz said.

In another account, Waltz said he met with Haitian police officers who described how an armored police vehicle became stuck in a ditch during a patrol. According to Waltz, gang members surrounded the vehicle and set it on fire, leaving the officers inside with the choice of either burning alive or abandoning the protection of the armored vehicle.

"Obviously, they chose the latter. They were flayed alive in the streets, pinned to the side of their burning armored vehicle to send a message," Waltz recalled.

Another of the stories Waltz shared involved an 8-year-old boy who, he said, had been groomed by gangs to kill by first being taught to kill dogs before eventually being rescued.

"But there's so many more to go," Waltz said.

On July 19, the U.N. published a report saying that although gangs continue to expand across the country and record numbers of families are fleeing their homes, there are "signs of progress" as security forces push gangs out of some strategic areas while new international support continues to arrive to help curb the violence.

According to the U.N., the launch of the Gang Suppression Force, a U.N.-backed international security operation established to help Haiti regain control of gang-dominated areas, has enabled Haitian security forces to achieve "some tangible successes" against gangs for the first time in many months.

"Specialized police units have pushed criminal groups out of several strategic locations in Port-au-Prince, reopening some major roads and allowing government institutions to return to parts of the city center," the U.N. said.

Another point Waltz raised before the U.N. Security Council was that gangs continue profiting from their violence through social media. He said they not only monetize their content but also use TikTok, Facebook and Instagram to portray themselves as "revolutionaries" and recruit children.

"What was incredibly disturbing, amongst many things, is that they are valorizing it...often terrorize the Haitian people by their executions and other forms of torture," Waltz said, concluding his remarks at the Security Council by saying the United States continues to stand with Haiti and the Haitian people as they fight to reclaim their country.

According to the U.N. and The Haitian Times, more than 2,300 people have been killed and another 1,100 injured since January. Gang violence has also displaced a record 1.47 million people, while an additional 6.4 million are in need of humanitarian assistance.

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