NEW YORK — Haiti is spiraling further into chaos as gangs tighten their grip on the capital Port-au-Prince, according to senior United Nations officials who briefed the Security Council on Wednesday. The criminal groups have taken “near-total control,” and the government appears powerless against the escalating violence plaguing the impoverished Caribbean nation. Ghada Fathy Waly, the executive director of the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime, noted that around 90% of the capital is influenced by these gangs.
This criminal domination is expanding beyond the capital, reaching previously tranquil regions. Areas that once served as peaceful refuges, including southern Haiti, are now seeing a drastic uptick in gang activities. In the east, gangs have capitalized on key land routes like Belladere and Malpasse, where attacks on police and customs officers have been reported, Waly informed the council. The state’s capacity to govern is swiftly diminishing as the gangs fill the void left by a faltering public service system, implementing “parallel governance structures.”
The seizure of major supply routes has also crippled legal trade, causing dramatic hikes in the cost of essentials like cooking fuels and staple food items such as rice. Miroslav Jenca, U.N. Assistant Secretary-General, acknowledged the dire situation, emphasizing that the gang encirclement of Port-au-Prince is edging Haiti towards disaster. “Without immediate and robust intervention from the international community, the complete collapse of state presence in the capital is conceivable,” he warned.
The gangs have become increasingly formidable since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021. Previously, they controlled 85% of the capital, but the erosion of central government power following the president’s death has allowed these groups to thrive. A U.N.-endorsed operation led by Kenyan police arrived to mitigate the violence last year, yet it faces operational shortages, lacking 60% of the 2,500 envisaged personnel. A proposal from U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to supplement the mission with drones, transportation, and other resources remains stalled in the council.
In an attempt to counter the gangs, the U.N.’s Waly has observed a surge in private security firms and vigilante activities, some of which have formed to safeguard communities, while others operate outside the law and cooperate with gangs. Jenca noted that in just the past three months, these vigilante groups have reportedly executed over 100 individuals suspected of gang affiliations. Furthermore, the incidence of sexual violence by gangs has risen sharply, with nearly 364 cases involving 378 survivors recorded between March and April detailed by the U.N. political mission in Haiti.
A new U.N. report spanning October through February highlights that gangs are exploiting the political chaos and inadequate security responses amid competing political aspirations and corruption allegations within transitional governing bodies. These dynamics hinder efforts to stabilize the country. The territorial gains empower gangs financially and strategically, yet they are also driven by factions seeking to disrupt the political transition for their ends.
The report underscores slow progress in reinstating public security or progressing toward national elections by February 2026. A deficient police force under strained leadership, coupled with a military in need of rebuilding and an ineffective multinational force, allows gangs to prevail without stronger international support. Vigilante groups sometimes include local police who participate in human rights abuses, the report notes.
The Haitian National Police has been implicated in numerous extrajudicial killings, with over 281 summary executions, including 22 women and eight children by specialized units in the past year, according to the report. Despite a U.N. arms embargo, gangs continue to secure advanced weaponry from regional civilian markets and local police inventories in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.