Port-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – Haiti is at a dire crossroads, with extreme levels of gang violence continuing to degrade State authority with “no improvement in sight”, a senior UN political affairs official told the Security Council on Wednesday.
“This is not just another wave of insecurity; it is a dramatic escalation that shows no signs of abating,” emphasised Miroslav Jenča, assistant secretary-general for the Americas at the department of political and peacebuilding affairs. The country is now in its third year of political transition following the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021.
“We are deeply concerned about the slow progress on Haiti’s roadmap for restoring democratic institutions,” Jenča said, underscoring “time is of the essence.”
Gangs advance
Earlier this month, on the day of the new prime minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime’s installation, “a series of shocking incidents unfolded as four commercial aircraft were struck by gang-related gunfire,” Jenča recounted, causing Port-au-Prince’s International Airport to close and severely restricting access to the capital.
“This is the second time this year that armed gangs exploited moments of political instability to tighten their stranglehold on Port-au-Prince by targeting the airport,” he warned, as armed groups further intensify their “coordinated and well-orchestrated attacks”.
They have encircled the capital and all access roads, and made territorial advances in strategic areas, now controlling around 85 percent of the nation’s capital.
“They are also attacking the remaining pockets of relative safety, increasingly including government buildings and infrastructure,” he added.
Effects on civilians
Raising alarm about the human rights of people in these gang-controlled areas, Jenča reported how “predatory armed gangs systematically attack communities, using extreme forms of violence, including sexual violence, as a weapon to subjugate them.”
“We condemn in the strongest terms the widespread sexual violence used by armed gangs,” he stated. Twenty thousand people have fled the gang violence in just four days in November, augmenting the 700,000 internally displaced persons in Haiti and leading to a “staggering rise in displacement”, he added, in accordance with the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM).
‘High time’ for action
Amid the “severe and multifaceted crisis” in Haiti, “robust international security support is required now,” Jenča urged.
He is calling for more to be done to counter the illicit flow of drugs, weapons and ammunition, for the strengthening of national anti-corruption and accountability mechanisms and for the UN sanctions regime against Haiti to be brought to its full potential in order to address the root causes of gang violence.
It is high time we turn commitments into action to prevent any further erosion of security and state authority in Haiti,” he concluded.
Haiti: ‘Very critical situation on the ground,’ warns Humanitarian Coordinator
Gang violence in Haiti continues to escalate, displacing thousands from Port-au-Prince and straining already limited aid resources, according to the UN Resident Coordinator, Ulrika Richardson.
Richardson updated journalists in New York on Wednesday on the worsening situation in Haiti, which has deteriorated dramatically since the installation of a new prime minister on 11 November.
The verified toll of gang violence this year has reached more than 4,000 dead, though the actual numbers are likely higher, and an estimated 700,000 people are internally displaced across Haiti – half of them children currently unable to continue their schooling.
“We see just over the past few days, thousands of people who have had to again leave their homes,” Richardson said, expressing grave concern over escalating killings, lynchings, and territorial gains by gangs who are now consolidating their grip on the capital.
Chaos grips Port-Au-Prince
In a statement released later on Wednesday, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk also expressed deep concern over the intensification of violence in the capital Port-au-Prince, where a coalition of gangs is vying for full control of the city.
Over the past week alone, at least 150 people have been killed, 92 injured, and about 20,000 forced to flee their homes.
“Port-au-Prince’s estimated four million people are practically being held hostage as gangs now control all the main roads in and out of the capital,” Türk said.
Humanitarian response under strain
Despite immense challenges, humanitarian operations continue and the UN is committed to stay and deliver for the people of Haiti.
The UN has been delivering daily meals, clean water, and medical care to displaced populations. “The support has been extremely intense during very, very difficult operations,” Richardson said.
Following disruptions caused by the airport closure, UN humanitarian helicopters resumed flights this week, allowing for the delivery of essential supplies and the relocation of personnel within Haiti.
“[We are] trying, of course, to relocate many of our international staff to the departments so that we can continue the development work we are carrying out throughout the country,” Richardson explained.
Multinational security support needed
On Tuesday, the secretary-general reiterated his call for Member States to bolster support for the Multinational Security Support mission (MSS) backing Haiti’s police force and led by officers from Kenya.
“Gang violence must not prevail over the institutions of the State. Concrete steps must be taken to bolster the Haitian police force and support the Multinational Security Support mission in Haiti to protect the population and to restore effective rule of law,” Türk also expressed.
Progress against gangs possible
Richardson highlighted a recent incident where gangs attempted to seize control of Petionville but were repelled by police and residents.
“That shows also both the intention but also the capacity of the [police], to actually gain territory throughout the capital,” she said, praising the bravery of local law enforcement while acknowledging the significant challenges they face.
“We call upon Member States to put the needed support behind the Multinational Security Support mission so that it can in turn support the national police, but also to enable us to do our humanitarian assistance,” she emphasised.
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