UN’s Guterres condemns gang attack in Haiti that killed at least 40

Posted on September 14, 2025 by Arun Kumar N

Representational Picture: Civilians left with no space safe to live in Haiti

The overnight assault on September 11 is the latest in a string of brutal incidents and ongoing gang violence that have plagued Haiti since last year. In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Mr. Guterres expressed “condolences” to the victims’ families and urged Haitian authorities to pursue justice.

“The Secretary-General is alarmed by the levels of violence rocking Haiti,” said Stéphane Dujarric. “He calls on Member States to expedite support for the Multinational Security Support mission to assist the Haitian National Police.”

Just two weeks ago, Mr. Guterres addressed the UN Security Council, painting a grim picture of Haiti’s unraveling state. “State authority is crumbling,” he said, as armed groups tighten their grip on Port-au-Prince and surrounding regions, forcing families to flee and disrupting daily life.

With six million people in need of aid and 1.3 million displaced, Haiti’s humanitarian crisis is deepening. Yet less than 10 percent of the $908 million appeal has been funded. “Shamefully overlooked and woefully underfunded,” the UN chief said, warning that 1.7 million people may receive no assistance at all.

Violence unabated turns risky in future

The latest massacre in Labodrie, where dozens were killed this week, underscores the growing brutality of gangs such as Viv Ansanm, which now dominate major neighborhoods and supply routes. Kidnappings, extortion, and targeted attacks have surged, forcing families to abandon homes and seek refuge in makeshift shelters.

Since the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, Haiti has struggled to restore political order. A Transitional Presidential Council governs today, but its legitimacy is widely questioned. Elections have been repeatedly delayed, fueling frustration and allowing gangs to fill the vacuum.

The Haitian National Police remain outnumbered and outgunned, even as international backers try to bolster its capacity. A U.N.-authorized security mission led by Kenya has deployed, but with limited personnel and resources, its ability to restore order remains in doubt. Proposals to expand the force to 5,500 troops are still under discussion.

The humanitarian fallout is staggering. According to U.N. estimates, nearly 1.3 million Haitians are displaced within the country. Food insecurity has reached emergency levels, with shortages worsened by blocked roads, gang control of supply chains, and inflation that has put basic staples out of reach for many. Hospitals and clinics are closing or operating at half capacity due to insecurity and lack of supplies.

International donors, including the United States, Canada, and members of CARICOM, have pledged support, but relief has been slow to materialize on the ground. Washington sees the crisis not only as a humanitarian catastrophe but also as a potential migration trigger that could push thousands toward U.S. shores.

Analysts warn that without a decisive and coordinated effort, Haiti risks sliding further into state collapse. “The longer the vacuum persists, the more gangs will consolidate power and the harder it will be to rebuild institutions,” a regional expert noted.

For now, ordinary Haitians face the brunt of the crisis, caught between a fragile state, predatory gangs, and an international community struggling to mount an effective response.

Haitian capital ‘paralysed and isolated’ by gang violence, Security Council hears

Posted on July 3, 2025 by Arun Kumar N

Since January, the UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), recorded over 4,000 individuals deliberately killed – a 24 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2024.

“The capital city was for all intents and purposes paralysed by gangs and isolated due to the ongoing suspension of international commercial flights into the international airport,” Miroslav Jenča, Assistant Secretary-General for the Americas at the department of political affairs (DPPA), told ambassadors in the Security Council on Wednesday.

Having visited the country recently, he warned that, gangs have only “strengthened their foothold”, which now affects all communes of the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area and beyond, “pushing the situation closer to the brink.”

He called on the international community to act decisively and urgently or the “total collapse of state presence in the capital could become a very real scenario”.

Gang control expands

Ghada Fathi Waly, Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), echoed that warning.

“As gang control expands, the state’s capacity to govern is rapidly shrinking, with social, economic and security implications,” she told ambassadors, briefing remotely from Vienna.

“This erosion of state legitimacy has cascading effects,” she said, with legal commerce becoming paralysed as gangs control major trade routes, such conditions worsening “already dire levels of food insecurity and humanitarian need,” she added.

Rise of ‘vigilante’ groups

Amidst increasing public frustration with the limited protection capacity of the state, “vigilante” or self-defence groups are now gaining in popular appeal.

Although some are motivated by the urgent need to protect their communities, many operate outside existing legal frameworks, in some cases, engaging in extrajudicial actions and colluding with gangs.

The rise of these actors is pushing demand for guns and military-grade weapons, “fuelling illicit arms markets and raising the risk of licit weapons being diverted to criminal elements,” Ms. Waly said.

Human trafficking

Meanwhile, the broader deterioration of the security and economic situation in the capital and the rest of the country continues to fuel a sharper escalation in human rights violations.

Despite persistent under-reporting of sexual violence due to fear of reprisals, social stigma and lack of trust in institutions, BINUH reported an increase in sexual violence committed by gangs in the past three months.

In May, Haitian police raided a medical facility in Pétion-Ville suspected of being involved in illicit organ trade, as allegations of trafficking in persons for the purpose of organ removal are now arising.

As the situation in Haiti remains desperate, “there is not a moment to lose,” Mr. Jenča urged.

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Gang violence displaces a record 1.3 million Haitians

Posted on June 12, 2025 by Arun Kumar N

This represents a 24 per cent increase from December 2024 according to the UN agency, which also noted that this increase has produced the largest number of people displaced by violence on record there.

“Behind these numbers are so many individual people whose suffering is immeasurable; children, mothers, the elderly, many of them forced to flee their homes multiple times, often with nothing, and now living in conditions that are neither safe nor sustainable,” said Amy Pope, IOM Director General.

Existential challenges

These figures were released just ahead of a meeting on Wednesday at UN Headquarters in New York organized by the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) examining how peace and stability can return to the island nation, following years of chaos and crisis.

The meeting discussed ways of consolidating peace at the local level and reducing the violence, particularly through the involvement of women and youth in local initiatives.

At a press conference prior to the meeting, ECOSOC President Bob Rae stated that the current situation in Haiti was “truly existential.”

“It’s important that we have a meaningful discussion about what we can do together to address these problems,” he said, emphasizing that it’s “not just about increasing firepower.”

Joining the briefing via videoconference, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Haiti, María Isabel Salvador, also stressed that this is a “multifaceted crisis” which must be addressed with similarly multifaceted and dynamic solutions.

“We believe that the international community’s response must match the scale, urgency, and complexity of the challenge. That’s why strong international security support must be accompanied by peacebuilding measures, humanitarian action and political support that could ultimately allow Haiti to make progress on the path to sustainable development.”

According to her, one way to reduce violence in Haiti is by empowering communities themselves, especially women and children, to lead bold new initiatives.

Violence spreads

Haiti has been experiencing a resurgence of violence since mid-February. According to the IOM, while Port-au-Prince remains the epicentre of the crisis with 85 per cent controlled by gangs, violence extending beyond the capital has intensified in the past few months.

Recent attacks in the Centre and Artibonite departments have forced tens of thousands of other residents to flee, many now living in precarious conditions and temporary shelters.

“Although about a quarter of all internally displaced people still live in the capital, a growing number of people are fleeing to other parts of the country in search of safety,” IOM said.

In the Artibonite department in western Haiti, over 92,000 people have been displaced – largely because of violence in Petite Rivière.

In the Centre department, the situation is even more “alarming” with a total of 147,000 displaced. This number has doubled from 68,000 in the past few months as a result of fighting in towns like Mirebalais and Saut-d’Eau.

As more and more people are forced to flee, the number of spontaneous displacement sites is also increasing. Since December, these sites have increased from 142 to 246.

Around 83 per cent of refugees are staying with host families, putting a strain on already overstretched households, particularly in rural communities.

Pay attention and act

Armed violence continues to severely disrupt access to basic services, according to UN aid coordination office, OCHA, creating a “a deepening humanitarian crisis.”

“We must act urgently. The strength of the Haitian people is impressive, but resilience cannot be their only refuge. This crisis cannot become the new normal,” added Ms. Pope.

The President of the General Assembly, Philémon Yang, spoke at the ECOSOC meeting about the importance of adjusting “not just our attention but our action” and coordinating efforts across the UN to maximize impact.

“We must do our utmost to ensure that Haiti is not abandoned to a future of fear and despair but instead is embraced by a global commitment to peace, opportunity and dignity,” he said.