The Caribbean is awash with illegal American guns
Governments are trying to stem increasing bloodshed
On October 2nd the UN Security Council authorised a Kenyan-led multinational security force to go to Haiti. The mission, to last for a year, was first requested by Ariel Henry, Haiti’s acting prime minister, in 2022. Mr Henry’s request, in turn, came a year after the assassination of Jovenel Moïse, then the president, in July 2021. For two years the small Caribbean country has been racked by violence and without an elected government. Around 200 gangs operate in the country with near-total impunity. Starvation is commonplace. Some 3,000 people are reported to have been murdered this year alone, though that is probably a small fraction of the actual total. Kenya will send 1,000 troops to help Haiti’s embattled police force.
Explore more
This article appeared in the The Americas section of the print edition under the headline “Awash with American guns”
From the October 7th 2023 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMore from The Americas
Can Brazil’s left survive without Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva?
Brazil’s current president, a titan of the Latin American left, has no apparent heirs
Donald Trump is targeting Mexico like no other country
The United States’ southern neighbour is bracing for a wave of deportees and trapped migrants
The race to lead Canada’s Liberal Party hinges on handling Trump
Mark Carney and Chrystia Freeland are the front-runners
Canada has adopted assisted dying faster than anywhere on Earth
The province of Quebec now allows those with deteriorating illnesses to request an assisted death in advance
Tether’s move to El Salvador is a win for President Nayib Bukele
Why the stablecoin firm has picked the Central American country for its headquarters
From Greenland to Panama and Mexico, leaders are in shock
As Donald Trump eyes fine new pieces of real estate in the Americas and beyond