REGIONAL BRIEFS

Premier issues urgent appeal following crime hike in Cayman

CMC – The premier of the Cayman Islands has issued an urgent appeal for an end to the spike in crime across the country.

In an address to the nation on Friday, Premier Wayne Panton said he was “aggrieved and deeply saddened” that he had to come to the community to discuss violent gun incidents, stressing there will be zero tolerance when it comes to crime. “We cannot have our citizens living in fear,” he said.

The appeal was made in the aftermath of two multiple shootings in George Town which have claimed the life of two men and left eight others wounded.

“The shocking outbreak of gun crime in the past two weeks, which has seen two young Caymanian men killed, and left eight other people wounded, cannot and will not be allowed to continue,” Panton declared.

Among the measures the British Overseas Territory will implement are: an increase in armed patrols in high-incident areas and at liquor-licensed premises; increase in vehicle checks along roadways to run in parallel with Operation Quaker; increase in CCTV coverage on major roadways and in known hotspots; and the offering of $50,000 via Crime Stoppers for information leading to arrests or confiscation of illegal firearms.

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US to send FBI, DHS officials to Haiti

CMC – The United States says it will be sending senior Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials to Haiti “as soon as possible” in the wake of Wednesday’s assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse.

Moïse, 53, was killed in an attack by a group of assailants in his private residence in Petion-Ville, a suburb of Port-au-Prince, the Haitian capital. Moïse’s wife, Martine, was also shot in the attack.

US White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told a Press Briefing on Friday that the Joseph Biden administration “remains engaged and in close consultations with our Haitian and international partners to support the Haitian people in the aftermath of the assassination of the president.

“In response to the Haitian government’s request for security and investigative assistance, we will be sending senior FBI and DHS officials to Port-au-Prince as soon as possible to assess the situation and how we may be able to assist,” said Psaki, noting that, in January, the US announced a US$75.5 million for a wide range of issues, including democratic governance, health, education, agricultural development and strengthening of pre-election activities in the French-speaking Caribbean country.

In addition, the Biden administration is providing US$5 million to strengthen the Haitian National Police capacity to work with communities to resist gangs.

The investigation into Moïse’s assassination is being led by Haitian police forces on the ground.

Haitian officials said on Friday that they are also investigating whether the country’s security apparatus was complicit in coordinating the president’s assassination, with Moïse’s chief bodyguards expected to be questioned next week.

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UNICEF says a third of Haiti’s children in urgent need of emergency aid

CMC – The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) says that nearly a third of all children in Haiti – numbering around 1.5 million – are in urgent need of emergency relief because of rising violence, insufficient access to clean water, health and nutrition.

“Amid a political and economic crisis heightened by the assassination of Haiti’s beleaguered president on Wednesday, young people have also been suffering the long-term impact of disrupted education and protection services amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the threat of hurricanes,” said UNICEF in a statement.

UNICEF said it was deeply concerned that further violence and insecurity following the assassination could pose serious challenges to the humanitarian work of its teams on the ground, and their ability to safely reach the most vulnerable children and families.

UNICEF said, while it has lifesaving supplies in Haiti, “prolonged violence and instability could prevent the delivery and replenishment of stockpiles, including vaccines, medicine and medical supplies”.

“This is the worst humanitarian crisis the country has faced over the past few years, and it’s deteriorating week after week,” said Bruno Maes, UNICEF representative in Haiti.

“Many children’s lives depend on humanitarian aid and essential items, such as vaccines, syringes, medicines and therapeutic foods,” he added. “When gangs are fighting in the street and bullets are flying, it’s hard to reach the most vulnerable families with these lifesaving supplies.

“Unless humanitarian organisations are granted safe passage, thousands of affected children will continue to be left with little to no assistance”, Maes continued.

In the first three months of 2021 alone, UNICEF said the number of admissions of severely acute malnourished children in health facilities across Haiti, increased by 26 per cent compared to last year.

The agency said it is seeking US$48.9 million this year to meet the humanitarian needs of the country. So far, it has secured only 31 per cent of the funding.

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Earthquake of 4.2 magnitude recorded southwest of Barbados

CMC – An earthquake with a magnitude of 4.2 was recorded to the southwest of Barbados early yesterday.

According to the Seismic Research Centre at The University of the West Indies, the quake occurred at 6:52 am (local time) at a depth of 10 kilometres.

It was located 51.0 km SW of Bridgetown, Barbados, 160.0 km ESE of Kingstown, St Vincent and the Grenadines and 191.0 km SE of Castries, St Lucia.

There were no reports of injuries or damage.