UN says it will remain in Haiti despite increasing violence in the country

(CNN) — The United Nations (UN) has announced it will keep its staff in Haiti despite an increase in violence in the country, a spokesman for UN Secretary-General Stephane Dujarric said on Monday.

When Dujarric was asked whether the UN would have to evacuate its staff because of the security situation, he said, “We are staying.”

The UN is taking steps to keep its staff safe, the spokesman said, adding: “There is no outward movement of UN staff.”

Asked by a CNN producer whether the United Nations had the ability to evacuate foreign personnel from Haiti, Dujarric said: “We’re not going to talk about a hypothetical situation.”

The evaluation is done on a day-by-day basis, the spokesperson said.

The UN says the international community must “redouble its efforts”.

The UN Security Council announced on Monday that the international community should “redouble its efforts” to deal with the crisis in Haiti.

The Council urged the international community to provide humanitarian assistance to Haitians, supporting the Haitian National Police and multinational security assistance missions.

He also condemned the recent prison break and attacks on other critical infrastructure carried out by armed gangs in Port-au-Prince.

The statement expressed concern about “unacceptable threats” of violence against members of the Haitian government and police.

Kenyan officials also briefed the Council on their efforts to deploy troops to Haiti. According to the statement, Kenyan officials stressed the deployment “as soon as possible” to help deal with the security situation.

The Council urged all Haitian political actors to engage in dialogue to hold free and fair elections and restore democratic institutions as soon as possible.