Gang-ravaged Haiti nearing ‘point of no return’, UN warns

A burned-out car is seen during a protest against insecurity in Port-au-Prince on April 16. Photo / AFP, Clarens Siffroy

Haiti, where rampant gang violence has surged in recent weeks, is approaching a “point of no return” leading to “total chaos”, the United Nations special representative to the troubled Caribbean nation warned today.

“As gang violence continues to spread to new areas of the country, Haitians experience growing levels of vulnerability and increasing scepticism about the ability of the state to respond to their needs,” Maria Isabel Salvador told the UN Security Council.

“Haiti could face total chaos,” she said, adding that international aid was desperately needed to avoid that fate. “I urge you to remain engaged and answer the urgent needs of the country and its people.”

Salvador cited cholera outbreaks and gender-based violence alongside a deteriorating security situation, particularly in the capital Port-au-Prince, with authorities struggling to cope.

The poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti faces severe political instability, while swathes of the country are under the control of rival armed gangs who carry out widespread murders, rapes, and kidnappings.

The armed groups have been battling for control of Port-au-Prince and clashes have intensified as the gangs attempt to establish new territories.

A Kenyan-led force authorised by the UN has failed to push back the gangs. The mission has around 1000 police officers from six countries but was intended to have 2500.

In a report seen by AFP, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that further international support was “required immediately to allow the national police to prevent the capital slipping closer to the brink”.

Haiti’s Ambassador to the UN, Ericq Pierre, said his country was “slowly dying”.

“The Republic of Haiti is slowly dying under the combined action of armed gangs, drug traffickers, and arms dealers,” he said, calling on his partners to “help rid the country of the gangs that are terrorising the population”.

The report detailed the upsurge in violence, with the UN recording 2660 homicides in the three months from December 2024 - a 41.3% increase over the previous quarter.

Anti-gang operations resulted in 702 people killed in that time, of which 21% were estimated to be innocent civilians, the report said.

Gender-based violence also recorded an alarming increase, with 347 incidents reported in the five months to February 2025, according to UN data.

Collective rape was the most common violation, accounting for 61% of cases.

- Agence France-Presse