Haiti

Ecuador and Haiti experienced some of the largest surges in violence, whereas El Salvador and Peru were among the countries where rates dropped the most

The state of emergency was announced on Sunday evening, and it will last for 72 hours as the government officials are hunting the criminals who escaped the prison.

A Kenyan court determined the government's plan is unconstitutional

Ariel Henry's concession comes amid strong international and domestic pressure to his leadership

Martine Moïse and Claude Joseph have been accused of complicity and criminal association

The recent surge in gang wars in Haiti has stopped the United Nations' food agency from reaching over 370,000 people who have been struggling with food insecurity issues since early February.

The report featured anonymous interviews with politicians, police, aid workers, businessmen, and residents across the country, warning that these gangs pose numerous challenges for the international force backed by the United Nations (UN).

Haiti has been engulfed in unrest since Monday, with thousands of people in Port-au-Prince and across the country demanding that the prime minister step down in line with a political agreement forged in 2022.

Hundreds of concertgoers attended the "PAPJAZZ" music festival in Haiti's capital this week, which returned for the first time since 2021 with a modified schedule and strict security precautions amid the city's dire security situation.

The court upheld arguments presented by opponents of the decision, who called the mission unconstitutional

The kidnapping took place on Jan. 19 when the armed men hijacked the bus and drove off to an unknown destination, taking all the passengers, as well as the nuns.

Gang members operating in neighboring Bel-Air have been fighting in the area since Sunday, a local resident told AFP.

International aid group Doctors Without Borders said Thursday it was suspending work at a medical center in the Haitian capital after an armed group pulled a critically ill patient from an ambulance and shot him dead in the street.

Several Cuban migrants said that they had traveled with Viva Aerobus on flights chartered by small travel agencies.

Center for Human Rights Analysis and Research said they will reduce their activities for a couple of months due to threats.

Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, saw an increase in gang violence following the death of a powerful leader.

In June, another member of the conspiracy, Haitian-Chilean Rodolphe Jaar, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison for his role in supplying weapons to carry out the assassination.

The UN envoy said there have been "killings, sexual violence, including collective rape and mutilation, continue to be used by gangs every day and in the context of ineffective service support for victims, or a robust justice response."

The Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader has not lifted the visa ban on Haitian citizens, keeping the borders closed for them, even if they want to enter for work, health, education, or tourism.

A Kenyan-led multinational force will hopefully help bring some semblance of stability to Haiti, where gang violence has escalated into a form of "urban guerrilla" warfare, the Caribbean country's police chief tells AFP. The UN Security Council gave the green light this month for the deployment of a thousand-strong support force led by Kenyan police, after a year of repeated calls for help from Haiti.

A UN-backed force is finally being sent to try and restore calm to Haiti, but experts fear it may have no more success than previous foreign interventions in an impoverished nation hit by crisis after crisis.

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) said that it is the duty of the state to prevent and investigate these events, punish their perpetrators, and ensure adequate reparation to the victims.

The Western Hemisphere's poorest nation has been in freefall, with armed gangs taking over parts of the country and unleashing brutal violence, and the economy and public health system also in tatters.

The deployment will take place after nine months and will last a year.

Brutal gangs are tightening their grip on Haiti, with snipers shooting indiscriminately from rooftops and people burned alive, which prompts vigilante groups to respond with more violence.

The cabinet secretary for Kenya's foreign and diaspora affairs said alongside Kenya, 10 other countries are willing to help Haiti by deploying troops or financing the multinational security support mission.

Gangs control roughly 80 percent of the Haitian capital, and violent crimes including kidnappings for ransom, carjackings, rape and armed theft are common.

"Yes, the canal must be built. Yes, efforts must be made so that the water reaches the canals as it should. Yes, it is through solidarity and unity that the land of (the Maribahoux plain) can be irrigated," the Haitian Ministry of Agriculture said.

During his speech at the UN General Assembly, the president asked the Security Council to "authorize this mission now" as the people of Haiti "cannot wait much longer."

Dominican President Luis Abinader on Thursday announced the closure of the country's border with Haiti, escalating a diplomatic spat over access to a shared river.