The criminal gangs of Haiti have “almost total control” carried out over the capital, while escalating violence pushes the Caribbean nation “closer to the edge,” warned high UN officials on Wednesday.
Bendes check an estimated 90% of Port-au-Prince, Ghada Fathy Waly, executive director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, said the UN Security Council. Waly noted that gangs are expanding to rather peaceful areas.
“South Haiti, which until recently was isolated from violence, has seen a strong increase in gang-related incidents,” she said. “And in the east criminal groups operate land routes, including important crossings such as Belladeere and Malpasse, where attacks on police and customs officials have been reported.”
UN assistant-secretary-general Miroslav Jenca announced the council that “the persistent gang surrounding Port-au-Prince” and their reinforced position in the capital and then “pushes the situation closer to the edge.”
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Security protectors are watching such as Haiti’s Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime, Center, talks to the Charge of Mexico, Jesus Cisneros, after attending an event a year since the start of the multinational security support mission in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Thursday 26 June 2025. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)
“Without increased action by the international community, the total collapse of the presence of the state in the capital could become a very real scenario,” he warned.
Gangs have gained power since the murder of Jovenel Moïse in July 2021, who previously checked 85% of the capital. Haiti has not had a president since the murder.
An armed member of the G9 and Family Gang Patrols a roadblock in the Delmas 6 neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on 11 March. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)
A new UN report for October to February emphasizes that gangs have used political unrest and have organized the unorganized security response of Haiti, saying that competitive political ambitions and accusations of corruption have hindered the action within transition authorities.
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“Although the expansion of territorial control gangs yields additional sources of income and negotiation forces,” the UN experts said in the report: “These attacks are also supported by people who try to destabilize the political transition for their own political goals.”
Police officers patrol in a neighborhood in the middle of gang-related violence in the center of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on 25 April 2023. (Richard Pierrin/AFP via Getty images)
The US Department of Foreign Affairs gave a travel advice for Haiti in September 2024 and warned Americans against visits because of kidnapping, crime, civil unrest and limited healthcare.
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In May, the Trump administration has designated two of Haiti’s most powerful gang networks, VIV Ansanm and Gran Grif, as foreign terrorist organizations and specially designated global terrorists.
