ONE of Haiti’s leaders has pleaded for more help for his troubled country to fight relentless violence and widespread hunger.

Laurent Saint-Cyr, who heads Haiti’s transitional presidential council, addressed the United Nations general assembly in New York on Thursday, saying that immediate action was needed because people were dying daily.

“Haiti is experiencing war, a war between criminals that want to impose violence as a social order and an armed population that is fighting for human dignity and freedom,” Mr Saint-Cyr said.

Violence between the armed militia and police, as well as with vigilante groups, left more than 3,100 people dead from January to June, with another 1,189 injured, according to the UN.

More than 1.3 million people have been displaced across Haiti in recent years, while more than half of the country’s nearly 12m inhabitants are expected to experience severe hunger.

Kettia Jean Charles and her family were forced into a shelter in the Delmas 31 low-income area of the capital Port-au-Prince. 

She said: “I used to sleep in a bed, had my own business and my children went to school. Now, I am living this catastrophic life.” 

Last year, a UN-backed mission led by Kenyan police launched operations in Haiti to suppress the militias.

The United States and Panama have urged the UN security council to authorise a new 5,550-strong force for Haiti, a proposal backed by Mr Saint-Cyr though viewed with suspicion by many in Haiti.

“It is crucial to mobilise a strong force with a clear mandate and with adequate material, logistical and financial resources,” he said.