40 migrants die off the coast of Haiti

By Francesca Merlo

At least 40 migrants have died and dozens more have been injured after the boat they were travelling on caught fire just off the coast of Haiti.

According to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), which announced the news on Friday 19 July, the coastguard was able to rescue another 40 people. The tragedy is yet another consequence of the harsh reality Haitians are attempting to flee from as they undergo perilous journeys in search of safety outside of their violent nation.

Escalating violence in Haiti 

Between January and May, armed gangs controlling the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, have killed more than 3,000 people. The spiral of violence has forced more than half a million people to flee their homes.

The boat, which reportedly had at least 80 migrants on board, had left the northern city of Cap-Haïtien at around 4 am local time on Wednesday 17 July and was headed for the islands of Turks and Caicos, British overseas territories, 250km from Haiti.

Desperate migration attempts

The migration situation in the country is desperate. More than 86,000 people have been forcibly repatriated to Haiti this year alone. Since 29 February, local authorities have observed an increase in attempts to leave by sea, an observance which has been confirmed by interceptions of boats at sea by the US, Bahamas, Turks and Caicos Islands and Jamaica.

International security assistance

Just one week ago, a second group of 200 police officers from Kenya arrived in the capital, Port-au-Prince, as part of an international security operation supported by the UN to counter the overwhelming power of armed gangs, which control at least 80% of the city. The mission, which has joined forces with the Haitian National Police, has not yet begun operations to pacify the neighbourhoods controlled by the armed gangs. In late February, the gangs launched several attacks on infrastructure, taking control of police stations and storming the country's two largest prisons, causing more than 4,000 inmates to escape.

In the coming months, the mission from Kenya will be joined by policemen and soldiers from the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Benin, Chad and Jamaica, for a total of 2,500 people.