Gangs Wreak Havoc in Haiti with Unprecedented Violence

Gang violence in Haiti reached catastrophic levels in 2023 and 2024, with the United Nations documenting over 4,789 people killed in 2023 alone, plus thousands more injured and kidnapped. The crisis escalated dramatically in early 2024 when Haiti's most powerful criminal gangs forged a non-aggression pact and launched coordinated attacks on government buildings, police stations, hospitals, and critical infrastructure including ports and roads. The capital Port-au-Prince was effectively paralyzed.

By early 2024, the violence had created a severe humanitarian crisis, with half of Haiti's population facing acute hunger and the government losing control of large portions of the country. International calls for a UN-authorized security mission intensified as Haitian authorities proved unable to contain the gangs.

The gang coalition that paralyzed Port-au-Prince has outlasted the international mission sent against it. Killings set records three straight years: more than 4,700 in 2023, 5,600 in 2024, and at least 5,519 in the ten months to January 2026UN Human Rights, when UN monitors found operations against gangs killed more people than the gangs themselves. The Kenya-led mission never reached half its planned 2,500 personnel and ended in April 2026Haitian Times, succeeded by a Gang Suppression Force of up to 5,500 that is still assembling. Gangs hold over 90 percent of the capital and about 1.45 million Haitians are displaced. First-round elections are scheduled for December 13, 2026.