Amid intensifying gang violence and recent reports highlighting the disintegration of security in Haiti, the United Nations has called for urgent international support to stabilise the country.
United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres this week urged immediate and strategic assistance for Haiti, as brutal gang violence increases.
In a letter to the UN Security Council, Guterres outlined a new approach focusing on bolstering the multinational police mission in Haiti with logistical and financial aid, while dismissing calls for the immediate deployment of peacekeepers.
Regarding a full UN peacekeeping force for Haiti, Guterres said such a move could only be considered "once significant progress has been made in substantially reducing gang territorial control". UN officials stressed that the fight against gangs and "enforcement" of peace are not the jurisdiction of peacekeepers.
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Despite funding issues – and the impact of Donald Trump's United States administration slashing USAID funding by 90 percent – Guterres stated that, with the right support, significant strides could be made in restoring peace.
One key proposition is the establishment of a UN Support Office to manage logistics such as accommodation, food, and transportation for the mission – a model developed in Somalia.
Funded by the UN peacekeeping budget, the unit would bolster the effectiveness of the under-equipped and under-funded Multinational Security Support Mission, led by Kenya.
Increase in deaths
Recent reports have highlighted a complete degradation of the security situation in and around the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince.
According to a UN dossier published this week, more than 5,600 people were killed in Haiti due to gang activities in 2024 – an increase of more than 1,000 deaths compared to the previous year.
One of the deadliest gang-related incidents in recent history took place in early December 2024, when the Wharf Jérémie gang orchestrated a massacre in the Cité Soleil district of Port-au-Prince, resulting in at least 207 deaths. The bodies of the victims – primarily elderly practitioners of Haitian Vodou – were mutilated, burned or discarded in the sea.
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The violence is not confined to the capital. In October, the town of Pont-Sondé experienced an attack by the Gran Grif gang that resulted in more than 115 deaths and displaced thousands.
The gang's influence in the Artibonite department has seen numerous mass kidnappings and violent assaults reported.
Elections amid chaos
A report released this week by think tank the International Crisis Group (ICG), entitled Violence and Politics in Haiti’s Transitional Government, highlights the dynamic between the country's political instability and gang violence.
According to the ICG, there is an urgent need for both comprehensive reforms and international support to dismantle the network of gangs perpetuating the violence.
The organisation also expressed concern that hastily organised elections, mooted for this year, could exacerbate the violence.
The head of Haiti's Transitional Presidential Council, Leslie Voltaire, has pledged to conduct elections in November – which would be Haiti's first since 2016 – and establish an elected government by February 2026.
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However, ICG analyst Diego Da Rin cautioned that proceeding with elections without first addressing security issues could worsen matters. "It would be a mistake to think that having elections in chaotic conditions without resolving... the security issue first would, by [some] miracle, completely change the situation."
A Haitian electoral expert explained the dilemma to the ICG, saying: "If we hold the elections in total chaos, there is a good chance that mafia groups in collusion with gangs will win the elections. But if we wait to solve the problem of insecurity before holding elections, we could be in for another four years."
Haiti's healthcare system is currently on the brink of collapse, exacerbated by the destruction of facilities and the suspension of services due to security concerns.
The humanitarian crisis has seen more than 1 million people internally displaced – many forced to flee their homes due to gang incursions – and half the population facing food insecurity.
