Senior UN officials warned on Wednesday that Haiti's gangs gained “almost complete control” of the capital and that authorities could not stop escalating violence in poor Caribbean countries.
Ghada Fathy Waly, executive director of the UN Office of Drugs and Crime, told the UN Security Council that an estimated 90% of the capital ports are now under control of criminal groups that have expanded not only the attacks to the surrounding areas, but also to the former peaceful areas in previous peaceful areas.
“Southern Haiti was not out of violence until recently, with gang-related incidents rising dramatically,” she said. “In the East, criminal groups are using land routes, including key traversals such as Belladere and Malpass, with reported attacks on police and customs officials.”
“The situation in Haiti is deteriorating at an alarming rate,” Bob Rae, chairman of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission, said in a statement.
“The Haitian population is exploited, raped, kidnapped and recruited by armed gangs. They are malnourished and faced with famine,” said former Canadian MP Ray.
In her speech, Walli said that criminal groups are stepping into a vacuum of absence or limited public service provision and have established a “parallel governance structure” where gang controls on large trade routes paralyze legal trade, causing soaring prices of cooking fuel and rice to go staple food in Haiti.
“The overall presence of the state in the capital could become a very real situation without the action of the international community.”
Last month, the United Nations International Organization for Migration estimated that 11% of Haiti's nearly 12 million residents fled their homes due to ongoing violence.
Insufficient funds for the International Security Force
The gang has been on the rise since Jovenel Moise was assassinated in July 2021. Haiti has not served as president since its assassination and has not held elections since 2016. A transitional committee with rotating leaders was established last year, hoping that the next election will be held in early 2026.
An unsupported mission led by the Kenyan Police Department arrived in Haiti last year to help with the violence in Quell Gang, but the mission remains understaffed and underfunded, with only about 40% of the 2,500 people originally envisioned.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres proposed in February that the United Nations provided drones, fuel, ground and air transport, and other non-lethal support for Kenya-led missions.
In response to the gang, Waly, who continues to manage the company in New York, said the number and activity of private security companies and Vigilante self-defense organizations has grown rapidly, with some trying to protect their communities, while others taking illegal action and intersecting with the gang.
“In the past three months, the groups have reportedly killed at least 100 men, a woman suspected of gang associations or cooperation,” Janka said.
He said the UN political mission has also increased in sexual violence in Haiti over the past three months, recording 364 incidents of sexual violence involving 378 survivors from March to April.
UN experts warned that a military that needs reconstruction needs reconstruction and limited capacity due to severe tensions in the national police force, but experts warned that the gang will continue to “prevail” unless more powerful international support is provided. UNICEF has previously assessed that some gangs are recruiting children to support their illegal activities.
Experts say Haitian National Police also carried out “worrying extrajudicial killings” with suspected gang members being executed regularly. ”
Experts say that despite the UN arms embargo on Haiti, gangs have acquired more powerful weapons not only from regional civilian markets, but also from police stocks in Haiti and neighbouring Dominican Republic.
Canadian Haitians say the impact of the earthquake hit 15 years ago is still feeling in the country, which faces political unrest, economic difficulties and growing violence.
The United States tries to end legal protections for Haitians
Haiti's unrest comes as Donald Trump announced last week that the administration ended its legal protection for about 500,000 Haitians on September 2 and set it up as a potential deportation.
“The environmental conditions in Haiti have improved enough that it is safe for Haitian citizens to return home,” the Department of Homeland Security said in an accompanying statement.
The move was challenged in the court.
The Department of Homeland Security’s statement even the State Department currently allocates Haiti to the highest level of travel advisory, advising Americans not to travel there due to “kidnapping, crime, civil unrest and limited health care.”
