As Haiti’s crisis deepens, marked by rampant gang violence and political instability, French President Emmanuel Macron has urged the United Nations to consider a peacekeeping mission. Macron met on Wednesday in Paris with Haiti's transitional president, Leslie Voltaire.
The Elysée Palace reaffirmed France’s commitment to supporting Haiti’s security efforts and mobilising international partners, particularly within the European Union.
“The Haitian people can count on the solidarity of France, which has always been present in Port-au-Prince,” the Elysée said, adding that restoring security was an absolute priority.
Escalating gang violence in Haiti claimed over 5,600 lives last year.
France has been helping the Haitian police both bilaterally and as part of the Kenya-led multinational security support mission.
But with only around 800 police officers deployed – far fewer than the 2,500 originally planned – the force remains too small to counter the growing dominance of armed gangs, which the UN estimates control 85 percent of the capital.
Despite worsening violence, Voltaire said long-delayed general elections are set for around 15 November 2025.
Haiti has been without elected representatives since January 2023, and no elections have taken place since 2016 due to spiralling violence.
Speaking to French-language channel TV5 Monde, Voltaire stressed the urgency of the vote. “We must pass on power to a legitimate, elected government on 7 February 2026,” he said.
However, with more than one million Haitians internally displaced and over five million facing severe food shortages due to gang activity, doubts remain about whether the country can establish the necessary conditions for a free and fair vote.
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'Horrific brutality'
The violence is not limited to Port-au-Prince.
In Kenscoff – a mountainous commune once considered a refuge from the capital’s chaos – armed gangs launched a brutal attack earlier this week, killing several residents, including 12 members of the same family.
Reporting from the scene, RFI documented harrowing accounts from survivors.
One resident, a father of three, described the brutality of the attackers. “They kidnapped the father of a young man called Léger, killed him, and then burnt him near my home.
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"Another citizen who was trying to flee was captured and beheaded. Madame Jacques, a sister from my church, was also beheaded, and the bandits took her head with them."Another witness, Naïca, voiced her despair after losing contact with her family following the attack.
“Members of my family saw their house and shop taken by the bandits. They’ve moved into the house now. But I don’t see them anymore, I don’t know where they are.”
Voltaire said the UN-backed mission in Haiti is insufficient and warned of worsening conditions if the United States cuts humanitarian aid and escalates the deportation of Haitian migrants.
