Haiti PM says nation far from winning gang war as UN deadline looms

NEW YORK (Reuters) -Haitian Prime Minister Garry Conille said on Wednesday that the Caribbean country was a long way from winning its war against armed gangs that control most of the capital, as a United Nations deadline for long-delayed support fast approaches.

"We are nowhere near winning this, and the simple reality is that we won't without your help," Conille said at an event on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

"There is a sense of urgency because the Haitian people are watching with cautious optimism, they're really hoping to see clear results."

Haiti is currently facing a gang attack at the capital's main port, Conille said, the key entry point for funding and goods.

A shipping official told Reuters this week that ships were being shot at, preventing them from docking and unloading containers, while authorities have reported the kidnapping of two Filipino crew members from a cargo vessel in the port.

Haiti's main seaports and international airport closed for nearly three months earlier this year after violence escalated at the end of February, an outbreak that saw thousands broken out of prison and the last prime minister resign.

"We worry that without the urgent implication of everyone to support this effort, we will lose the little success that we've been able to obtain at a very large price," Conille added.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken earlier announced sanctions against former deputy Prophane Victor and gang leader Luckson Elan for their role in human rights abuses, as well as $160 million in assistance for Haiti, and called for further support of the U.N.-backed international security mission.

'MOVE WITH SPEED'

About 10 countries have together pledged over 3,100 troops, but only around 400 have deployed. The U.N.'s one-year mandate expires in early October and the U.N. Security Council is set to vote on Sept. 30 on whether to renew it.

While countries have pledged hundreds of millions of dollars, both the U.N. mission trust fund and humanitarian plan remain drastically underfunded.

Musalia Mudavadi, an official from Kenya which is leading the mission, said the current funds were not enough to sustain the current deployment, let alone the thousands of troops that were promised.

"We encourage all the countries that have pledged troops to move with speed," he said.

The number of people internally displaced has nearly doubled in the last six months, according to U.N. estimates, now surpassing 700,000. Around half the country is going hungry.

Conille's government is also tasked with arranging the first elections since 2016. His predecessor repeatedly delayed a vote, saying a free and fair process could not take place under the existing insecurity. The U.S., the mission's top financial backer, has pushed for elections by next year.

Conille said that while far more security was needed, Haiti is already investing half of an estimated $140 million needed to hold a referendum on the Constitution in February and elections in November 2025.

Conille said he was "quite confident" that they would be able to hold the votes despite the insecurity, but warned that this would not be possible if commitments enabling the mission's full deployment are not kept.

(Reporting by Simon Lewis in New York, Daphne Psaledakis in Washington and Sarah Morland in Mexico City; Editing by Chris Reese, Bill Berkrot and Jonathan Oatis)