A new UNICEF report has found that the number of children recruited by gangs in Haiti has surged by 70% in the past year

Gangs in Haiti are exploiting political turmoil to tighten their grip on the country, paralyzing domestic and international efforts to restore law and order.

Residents of Solino and Nazon, central neighborhoods in Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince, fled their homes on Thursday as gangs spread to one of the few remaining areas of town not already under their control.

When Kenyan police arrived in Haiti as part of a U.N.-backed mission earlier this year to tackle gang violence, hopes were high. Coordinated gang attacks on prisons, police stations and the main international airport had crippled the country’s capital and forced the prime minister to resign,