Haiti: Over 1,000 Killed in Three Months as Gang Violence Persists - Briefing | United Nations

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UN Special Representative for Haiti Carlos Ruiz Massieu said that despite a challenging security environment, electoral preparations “have reached an unprecedented level of progress in more than a decade.” Addressing the Security Council today (19 Oct), Massieu said that since his last briefing to the Council in July, “efforts to advance Haiti’s political transition have continued with determination.” He also said that armed gangs continue to challenge State authority and inflict violence on the Haitian population. While security forces, with growing support from the Gang Suppression Force, have intensified their operations,” he added, “widespread insecurity persists, undermining stability, hampering efforts to restore State authority and disrupting the daily lives of the Haitian people.” He reported, “Between July and September of this year, we documented over one thousand people killed, including more than 650 individuals identified as gang members, and over a hundred victims of kidnapping. Sexual violence remains rampant, while self-defence groups continue to expand.” He welcomed the decision of the Government of Haiti to substantially increase funding to national security institutions and strengthen the capacities of the Haitian National Police and the Armed Forces of Haiti. He noted, “These efforts, with the support of international partners, are essential to enabling Haitian institutions to assume greater responsibility for restoring stability and extending State authority. While these developments are significant, the full deployment of the Gang Suppression Force remains paramount and sustained support from this Council will be indispensable to ensuring that it becomes fully operational without delay.” He stressed, “Vulnerable populations continue to bear the brunt of gang violence. Over the past three months, renewed insecurity has displaced more than 17,000 people, bringing the total number of internally displaced persons to nearly 1.5 million, including over 740,000 children. As Haiti’s economy is projected to contract for a seventh consecutive year in 2026, the humanitarian needs continue to outpace available resources, with less than half of the 2026 Humanitarian Response Plan funded to date. Without increased international support, the gap between growing needs and available assistance is likely to widen further.”


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