Mr. Chair and honourable members, thank you for the opportunity to provide our assessment [Technical difficulty—Editor].
I represent ACLED, or Armed Conflict Location and Event Data, an independent, impartial global monitor that collects, analyzes and maps data on conflict and protest. Today, I will provide an assessment drawing on active data [Technical difficulty—Editor] 2018.
Since 2021, the security situation has deteriorated year after year. ACLED data shows that between 2021 [Technical difficulty—Editor], and we recorded over 1,700 violent incidents and 4,700 fatalities last year alone. The assassination of President Jovenel Moïse accelerated the breakdown of an already unstable political order and disrupted pre-existing relationships between gangs and members of the country's political and economic elites. [Technical difficulty—Editor] from their political backers by diversifying their sources of revenue, which include kidnappings for ransom, extortions and taking control of strategic roads and infrastructure.
Gangs have further [Technical difficulty—Editor] and leverage over political authorities.