Haiti's gangs have 'near-total control' of the capital as violence escalates, UN says

UNITED NATIONS — Haiti's gangs have gained ''near-total control'' of the capital and authorities are unable to stop escalating violence across the impoverished Caribbean nation, senior U.N. officials warned Wednesday.

An estimated 90% of the capital Port-au-Prince is now under control of criminal groups who are expanding attacks not only into surrounding areas but beyond into previously peaceful areas, Ghada Fathy Waly, executive director of the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime, told the U.N. Security Council.

''Southern Haiti, which until recently was insulated from the violence, has seen a sharp increase in gang-related incidents,'' she said. ''And in the east, criminal groups are exploiting land routes, including key crossings like Belladere and Malpasse, where attacks against police and customs officials have been reported.''

Waly said the state's authority to govern is rapidly shrinking as gang control expands with cascading effects. Criminal groups are stepping into the vacuum left by the absence or limited delivery of public services and are establishing ''parallel governance structures,'' and gang control of major trade routes has paralyzed legal commerce, leading to soaring prices for cooking fuel and rice, Haiti's staple food, she said.

U.N. Assistant Secretary-General Miroslav Jenca told the council ''the ongoing gang encirclement of Port-au-Prince'' and their strengthened foothold in the capital and beyond is ''pushing the situation closer to the brink.''

''Without increased action by the international community, the total collapse of state presence in the capital could become a very real scenario,'' he warned.

Gangs have grown in power since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021 and previously were estimated to control 85% of the capital. Haiti has not had a president since the assassination.

A U.N.-backed mission led by Kenyan police arrived in Haiti last year to help quell gang violence, but the mission remains understaffed and underfunded, with only about 40% of the 2,500 personnel originally envisioned. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' proposal in February to have the U.N. provide drones, fuel, ground and air transport and other non-lethal support to the Kenya-led mission has languished in the council.

In response to the gangs, the UNODC's Waly said there has been a rapid growth in the number and activities of private security companies and vigilante self-defense groups, with some trying to protect their communities while others act illegally and collude with gangs.

''Over the last three months," Jenca said, "these groups reportedly killed at least 100 men and one woman suspected of gang association or collaboration.''

He said the last three months have also seen an increase in sexual violence by gangs with the U.N. political mission in Haiti documenting 364 incidents of sexual violence involving 378 survivors just from March to April.

A new report by U.N. experts covering the period from last October through February said the gangs have exploited political turmoil and the disorganized response to Haiti's security crisis, pointing to competing political ambitions and allegations of corruption within Haiti's transitional governing bodies that have stymied action.

''While the expansion of territorial control brings gangs additional sources of revenue and bargaining power,'' the experts said, ''these attacks are also backed by individuals trying to destabilize the political transition for their own political goals.''

One major result is that very little progress has been made toward restoring public security or implementing the roadmap for organizing national elections by February 2026, the experts monitoring an arms embargo on Haiti and sanctions against key gang leaders said in the report to the Security Council.

With a weak national police force facing acute tensions in its leadership, an army that needs rebuilding, and the limited ability of the multinational force, the experts warned that the gangs will continue ''to have the upper hand unless stronger international support is provided.''

As for vigilante groups, the experts said, they ''often include local police officers, some of whom actively participate in human rights violations.''

The Haitian National Police have also carried out ''a worrying number of extrajudicial killings … with suspected gang members often summarily executed,'' the experts said, pointing to 281 summary executions by specialized police units in 2024 including 22 women and 8 children.

Despite the U.N. arms embargo on Haiti, gangs continue to obtain more powerful weapons not only from regional civilian markets but from police stockpiles in Haiti and the neighboring Dominican Republic, the experts said.