Haiti crisis worsening as gangs gain ground – UN

GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The UN rights chief on Friday said that the situation in Haiti was worsening as armed gangs seize territory, team up and increasingly turn their violence on the population.

“The human rights situation in Haiti has reached yet another crisis point,” Volker Turk said, adding that the violence and insecurity had now “dramatically worsened”.

Presenting his annual report on the situation in Haiti, Turk told the UN Human Rights Council that gangs were gaining ground in the capital Port-au-Prince and its outskirts, capturing key territory and infrastructure.

He said they had united to launch attacks, often outnumbering and overpowering national security forces.

“Gangs are killing ordinary people, brutally punishing those who defy their rules, or are suspected of collaborating with the police or self-defence groups,” he said.

Turk’s report said gangs were now more coordinated, and as clashes between rival gangs declined throughout 2024, gang members had increasingly turned their violence against the population, instilling fear.

“This situation has dramatically worsened the nation’s security, human rights and humanitarian crises,” it said.

Haiti, the poorest nation in the Americas, was plunged into fresh unrest last year when gangs launched attacks in Port-au-Prince to force then-prime minister Ariel Henry to resign.

– Fear in the eyes –
Turk said trafficked firearms were fuelling the destructive cycle of violence, leading to severe human rights violations and abuses.

He cited reports estimating that between 270,000 and 500,000 firearms were circulating illegally in Haiti, with most weapons in the hands of gangs.

“These weapons, which are increasingly sophisticated, are not manufactured in Haiti, but consistently flow in from elsewhere,” he said

Turk said that from July 1 last year to February 28, his office had documented that at least 4,239 people were killed and 1,356 injured.

The UN human rights office estimates that 92 percent of the casualties resulted from the use of firearms.

It has also documented more than 700 kidnappings — all carried out with guns.

Sexual violence was increasingly being used by gangs to assert dominance, Turk added.

“Several victims were shot dead after being raped. Services for survivors remain extremely scarce,” he said.

Turk said lynchings of gang members by self-defence groups and spontaneous angry mobs had increased in recent months.

William O’Neill, the UN’s human rights expert on Haiti, told the council that countries ought to support the Kenyan-led security force in buttressing the Haitian police, with more personnel, helicopters, vehicles and equipment.

And if countries stopped the flow of weapons and ammunition, “the gangs could not survive very long without them”.

“The fear is palpable in people’s eyes and in their voices,” he said.

“The time for action is now. If we wait much longer, there could be precious little left of Haiti to save.”