Haiti: Armed gangs open fire at UN helicopter as violence surges

Armed gangs in Haiti opened fire and hit a UN helicopter on Thursday, forcing it to land in the capital Port-au-Prince.

The Associated Press and other US media outlets said the helicopter carrying three crew members and 15 passengers had landed safely in the capital.

UN helicopters are key for delivering food and other aid to millions of Haitians in communities cut off from roads and places ruled by armed gangs.

There was no official confirmation about the attack that targeted the helicopter, which belonged to the UN's World Food Program.

But reports like these raise concerns that armed gangs are trying to exert their influence even more.

What is the situation in Haiti?

Much of Port-au-Prince and its suburbs are under the control of various armed groups that have banded together under a common alliance called Viv Ansanm.

Earlier in the month, armed gangs set many houses on fire in a town about 60 miles north of Port-au-Prince.

The violence killed at least 70 people, including three infants, in one of the worst killings in recent times in a country that has garnered an infamous reputation for gang violence.

More than 10,000 people were interally displaced in the last week alone, according to the UN migration agency.

The agency had said at the start of September that more than 700,000 people were internally displaced across the Caribbean nation, nearly double the figure six months earlier.

What is the international community doing to help?

Haiti has been wracked by armed gangs since the death of President Jovenel Moise in 2021. Its current government has little power and relies on a UN-backed multinational security mission to combat gangs.

The security support mission has some 400 police officers on the ground. Their task is to assist the Haitian national police force.

The force is expected to grow to 2,500. Kenya said earlier in the week during a UN Security Council briefing that it was going to strengthen the security mission by another 600 officers by mid-November.

However, the gangs are extremely well armed, largely because of gun trafficking from the US, a point that US lawmakers raised in a letter to the Biden administration.