More than 200 people have been killed in gang violence in Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, in the space of 10 days, United Nations figures reveal.

Almost half of those who died were residents without ties to the gangs which are fighting for control of the Cité Soleil neighbourhood, the UN says. Locals say they are running out of drinking water and food as deliveries have been halted amid the shoot-outs. One resident described his life as "a cycle of fear, stress and despair".

Gang violence had already shot up since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse by mercenaries a year ago, but it has reached shocking new levels since a battle erupted on 8 July between two criminal alliances, known as G9 and G-Pèp. The UN says that 209 people were killed between 8 and 17 July, of which 114 were gang members. A further 254 people have sustained gunshot wounds, more than half of them residents without links to the gangs.

The Haitian prime minister was forced to scramble to safety to avoid a string of gunfire during an assassination attempt on Saturday, video footage shows. Ariel Henry was leaving a church after taking part in an event commemorating the Caribbean country's independence when a gang of 'bandits and terrorists' tried to gun him down.

The failed shooting comes just five months after Haiti's President Jovenel Moise was assassinated in a predawn attack at his home. Video footage broadcast on social media showed Henry and his entourage scrambling toward their vehicles.

Gangs' hold on parts of Haiti has strengthened since the assassination of Moise in July. Police, who called Saturday's attack the work of 'armed groups,' were unable to immediately confirm casualties. 

Prior to the incident, a local gang boss had made threats against Henry in local media. The prime minister's office said arrest warrants had been issued for the suspects who fired on Henry's convoy. The attack has renewed concerns about the safety of officials in Haiti since Moise's assassination.

A notorious gang is behind the kidnap of a group of North American missionaries near Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, officials say.

The five men, seven women and five children were returning from a visit to an orphanage when they were abducted on Saturday.

Officials say they are being held by the 400 Mawozo gang - also blamed for the kidnap of Catholic clergy in April.

Haiti has one of the highest rates of kidnapping in the world.

This year has been particularly bad, with more than 600 kidnappings recorded in the first three quarters of 2021, compared with 231 over the same period last year, according to a local civil society group.

The rise has come in the wake of President Jovenel Moïse's assassination in July, as rival factions fight to gain control of the country in the face of a struggling police force.