The United Nations has sounded a grave alarm regarding the escalating levels of gang violence in Haiti, which is not only intensifying but also spreading beyond the capital city of Port-au-Prince. This concerning development has reached the major cities of Gonaives and Cap-Hatien, leading to a significant surge in killings, kidnappings, and sexual assaults over the past few months. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres detailed these troubling findings in a report circulated on Wednesday.
According to the report, there were a staggering 2,728 intentional killings recorded between October 2022 and June 2023, including 247 women, 58 boys, and 20 girls. This surge in homicides is attributed to the emergence of a vigilante movement known as “Bwa Kale” in the capital city in April. This group has been actively targeting the gangs, contributing to the violent upswing.
Kidnappings for ransom have also increased during this period, with 1,472 cases reported. However, Guterres noted that the actual number is likely higher because families often do not report missing loved ones to authorities out of fear for their safety. Furthermore, gang members have continued to employ sexual violence, including collective rape, as a means of terrorizing populations under the control of rival gangs. The report cited 452 reported rape cases between October and June.
This report from the Secretary-General arrives as the UN Security Council is in negotiations over a new resolution. This resolution would authorize a non-UN multinational force led by Kenya to combat the gangs. Diplomats anticipate a vote on this resolution later in the week or the following week.
Haiti has been plagued by political instability since the still-unsolved assassination of President Jovenel Moise in 2021. Gangs have grown in power since his assassination, with Guterres noting that they now control or wield influence over 80% of the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area. Their violent activities have also expanded into the central Artibonite Valley, as well as major cities like Gonaives in the northwest and Cap-Hatien in the north. These indiscriminate attacks have resulted in the displacement of nearly 130,000 people.
Guterres pointed out that little to no progress has been made on the benchmarks established in the October resolution. These benchmarks include establishing a capable judicial system, reducing gang violence, improving human rights, decreasing illicit arms trafficking and financial flows, and increasing arms seizures. The gangs have overwhelmed already weak national institutions, including the judiciary, the national police, and the prison administration. Corruption remains endemic, and impunity is widespread, with 84% of Haitian inmates in pretrial detention, facing alarming conditions.
The police, despite a budget increase, have been unable to effectively combat the powerful gangs. The force is grappling with a declining workforce due to resignations, dismissals, retirements, and fatalities. Over 700 new police officers were selected in December, but more than five percent of the force, 774 officers, left in the first half of this year.
The human rights situation has also deteriorated, with escalating gang attacks, including the use of snipers on rooftops to indiscriminately target people. In some instances, gangs have attacked entire neighborhoods, employing brutal tactics such as burning individuals alive and executing those perceived as opposing them.
Despite the sanctions resolution adopted last October and a targeted arms embargo, the trafficking of weapons and ammunition continues unabated. Experts assess that increasingly sophisticated and high-caliber weapons are being trafficked into Haiti, primarily from the United States, and are reaching gang members through intermediaries. Poor border control, limited capacity for seizures, and weak weapons management systems are contributing to this alarming trend.