UN Warns on Haiti, Ukraine and Sudan Crises; Blogger Jailed

Over 600 families who fled their homes because of violence are now living in tents in a former school.

Without greater international engagement, Haiti risks sliding deeper into crisis, leaders warned on Monday at a meeting in New York convened to address the country’s security collapse.

Kenya’s President William Ruto, who heads the Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS), noted limited progress since the police force deployed 15 months ago with UN Security Council approval.

“When we arrived, the airport was surrounded by gangs. Today, it is functioning perfectly,” he said, pointing to the securing of the presidential palace and reopening of key access routes to the capital, Port-au-Prince.

Yet gangs still control around 85 per cent of the city, he acknowledged. The MSS, hampered by insufficient resources, has been unable to break their grip as its mandate nears expiry.

The United States echoed Kenya’s concerns and urged a stronger UN-mandated presence. “Haiti is at a crossroads,” warned Under Secretary of State Christopher Landau.

Washington is pressing for the transformation of the MSS into a 5,500-member “Gang Suppression Force,” operating under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, which authorises military action to counter threats to peace.

“The time to act is now. The Haitian people cannot wait,” he stressed, calling on Member States to back a draft resolution tabled with Panama.

For Haitian authorities, international support is indispensable. “Haiti cannot and will not be able to face this security crisis, fuelled by transnational criminal networks, alone,” said Laurent Saint-Cyr, president of the country’s Presidential Transitional Council.

The Security Council is expected to decide shortly on the future of international engagement in Haiti, where hunger, displacement, and sexual violence continue to worsen alongside insecurity.

The UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday was briefed on the devastating impact of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.

In an update, independent investigators from the Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine expressed concern at the growing number of civilian casualties from Russian attacks.

Erik Møse, chair of the panel, said that “relentless attacks with long-range weapons…have intensified” throughout Ukraine. He reported that Russian forces used short-range drones to pursue victims, dropping explosives on them and striking ambulances and emergency services.

Mr. Møse, who works in an independent capacity, added that his investigation could not verify Russian allegations of drone attacks by Ukrainian forces, citing lack of access to the affected territory and limited cooperation from Russia.

In Sudan, conditions are deteriorating rapidly in El Fasher, the besieged capital of North Darfur.

Between 17 and 19 September, more than 7,500 people fled the Abu Shouk displacement camp and parts of El Fasher, according to the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Following deadly attacks in El Fasher, Secretary-General António Guterres and relief chief Tom Fletcher raised urgent concerns, warning that civilians remain trapped and face famine conditions.

The warnings follow Friday’s mosque attack, reportedly carried out by the Rapid Support Forces militia, which killed more than 70 people—including at least 11 children—according to initial reports from UNICEF.

Humanitarian operations have been severely disrupted by rising violence, with one local organisation forced to suspend work in the besieged Government-held city. Seasonal flooding and a nationwide cholera outbreak have compounded the crisis.

In South Darfur, more than 5,200 suspected cases and 250 deaths have been reported since May, said UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric. On Sunday, the UN and its partners launched a large-scale cholera vaccination campaign targeting 1.9 million people across Darfur.

At the start of high-level week, Mr. Guterres reiterated his call for “concerted international action in support of the people of Sudan.”

Meanwhile, the UN Human Rights Office described the jailing of Chinese citizen journalist Zhang Zhan as “deeply disturbing.”

Ms. Zhan was sentenced to four more years in prison on the charge of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble,” which OHCHR described as “vague and ill-defined.”

The office raised concerns about the conduct of her trial, noting that independent observers were not allowed to attend.

This is the second time Ms. Zhan has been convicted of the same offence. OHCHR called for her “immediate and unconditional release.”