27305: Wharram (news/commentary) Haiti Struggles with Gun Violence (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

Bruce Wharram <bruce.wharram@sev.org>

 Haiti Struggles with Gun Violence
By Amelia Shaw
Port-au-Prince
20 January 2006
VOICE OF AMERICA

Haiti continues to struggle with violence and instability in the wake of its
upcoming presidential elections in February. Gun violence and kidnappings
threaten the lives of thousands of people every day in the country's
capital, Port-au-Prince. A leading humanitarian aid organization says the
situation is only getting worse.

The international humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders released
a statement Thursday appealing for armed groups to respect the safety of
civilians and aid workers, and allow the wounded safe access to medical
care. Their appeal comes in response to a dramatic increase in gun violence
in the city.

At a news conference in the capital on Thursday, the group's head of
mission, Dr. Ali Besnaci, said that it is unacceptable that the recent wave
of violence is claiming so many victims of civil society. He says he fears
the violence will only get worse.

Since August of 2005, Doctors Without Borders has operated St. Catherine
Hospital in the precarious slum of Cité Soleil, where more than 250,000
Haitians live in crowded shacks along the waterfront. For the residents of
Cité Soleil, St. Catherine's is the only access they have to medical care.

Dr. Loris de Felippi, who directs the hospital, says that many of the
victims are women and children. "We had a young girl with a bullet in the
stomach, we just finished the intervention, and the situation is serious.
And yesterday, this is really unbelievable, but we had an infant of 11
months with a bullet in the back," he said.

He says that while 34 people were wounded by gunfire in November, the
hospital treated over 80 gunshot victims in December, and in the first two
weeks of January alone, over 60 gunshot victims have been treated. Six of
them have died. Dr. De Felippi says that these are the cases the hospital
knows about. Many other people are wounded or die, and are never reported.

A five-year-old boy named Henri has been brought into the emergency room
with a gunshot wound.

He says he was at home when bullets tore through his house and one hit him
in his leg. A man near his house found him and carried him here. He says
that he hopes his mother will come find him soon.

Since the departure of former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide in February
2004, security has been a major problem in Haiti, particularly in the
capital. Armed gangs loyal to Mr. Aristide control many of the slums, and
kidnappings have increased to epidemic levels.

The United Nations sent a peacekeeping mission of more than 7,000 troops in
June of 2004 to stabilize the country. On Tuesday, two U.N. peacekeepers
from Jordan were killed in Cité Soleil.