Three million children in Haiti are in need of humanitarian assistance as continuing gang violence hampers aid delivery, the head of the UN children’s agency, Unicef, has said.

Catherine Russell said the situation in gang-wracked Haiti was “catastrophic” and growing worse “by the day”.

She told a meeting of the UN Security Council that in many areas essential services had collapsed.

Meanwhile, a transitional presidential council has still not been sworn in.

While Haiti has been blighted by gangs for years, the armed groups stepped up their attacks at the end of February when Prime Minister Ariel Henry travelled to Kenya to seal a deal for a multinational security force to be deployed to the Caribbean nation.

Mr Henry was prevented from returning to Haiti as the gangs attacked the international airport, forcing its closure.

He agreed last month to step aside as soon as a transitional presidential council was created and remains abroad.

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