Gangs Tighten Grip on Haiti as U.N. Warns of Near-Total Collapse in Capital
UNITED NATIONS — Criminal gangs now hold “near-total control” over Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, and the government is rapidly losing its ability to respond to the escalating violence, senior United Nations officials warned during a Security Council briefing on Wednesday.
The alarming assessment came from Ghada Fathy Waly, Executive Director of the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), who reported that an estimated 90% of the capital is now under the control of armed groups. These criminal networks are not only tightening their grip on Port-au-Prince but are also extending their reach into previously stable regions of the country.
“Southern Haiti, which had remained relatively untouched until recently, is now experiencing a sharp increase in gang-related violence,” Waly said. She added that gangs have expanded their operations eastward as well, exploiting key border crossings such as Belladère and Malpasse. At these strategic points, attacks against police officers and customs agents have become more frequent.
Waly warned that the Haitian state’s authority is deteriorating as gangs step into the void left by weakening public institutions. In many areas, they have begun setting up “parallel governance structures”, providing services typically offered by the state and asserting control over communities. Their dominance of major trade and transport routes has severely disrupted legal commerce, causing dramatic spikes in the cost of essential goods such as cooking fuel and rice.
Adding to the alarm, U.N. Assistant Secretary-General Miroslav Jenča described the situation as nearing a critical tipping point. “The ongoing gang encirclement of Port-au-Prince and their entrenched presence across the capital and beyond are pushing the situation closer to the brink,” Jenča said.
He cautioned that without decisive and coordinated international support, “the total collapse of state presence in the capital could become a very real scenario.”
Haiti has faced waves of political instability, economic hardship, and insecurity for years, but the current crisis marks a new phase in the country’s unraveling, with the government increasingly sidelined by emboldened and well-armed criminal factions.
Haiti’s Security Crisis Deepens as Gangs Expand Control, U.N. Warns of Political Paralysis and Rising Vigilantism
The power of Haiti’s gangs has surged dramatically since the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, with armed groups now controlling nearly all of Port-au-Prince and extending their influence across the country. A new United Nations briefing paints a dire picture of a nation in free fall, as political dysfunction and a weak security apparatus allow criminal groups to thrive.
Haiti has been without a president since Moïse’s assassination, and efforts to restore order have faltered. A U.N.-backed international mission led by Kenyan police arrived last year to assist with stabilizing the country, but the deployment remains critically understaffed and underfunded. Of the 2,500 personnel originally envisioned, only around 40% have been deployed, leaving the force overstretched.
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres proposed in February that the U.N. provide logistical and non-lethal support to the Kenya-led force, including drones, transport, and fuel, but that proposal has stalled in the Security Council, adding to growing concerns that the international response is failing to meet the urgency of the crisis.
Meanwhile, the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reports that the growing security vacuum has sparked a sharp rise in private security operations and vigilante groups. While some of these groups claim to defend their communities, others have been linked to extrajudicial killings and collusion with gangs.
“Over the last three months, these groups reportedly killed at least 100 men and one woman suspected of gang ties,” said Miroslav Jenča, U.N. Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia, and the Americas. He added that the use of sexual violence by gangs has also surged, with 364 cases involving 378 survivors documented by the U.N. political mission in Haiti in just two months—March and April.
A new report by U.N. experts warns that the gangs have exploited Haiti’s political chaos and the lack of a coordinated security response to consolidate power. The report, which covers October through February, highlights internal conflicts within Haiti’s transitional governing bodies and ongoing allegations of corruption that have paralyzed progress on key reforms, including plans to hold national elections by February 2026.
“While the expansion of territorial control brings gangs additional sources of revenue and bargaining power,” the report states, “these attacks are also backed by individuals trying to destabilize the political transition for their own political goals.”
The national police force, already struggling with leadership tensions and limited resources, has also come under scrutiny. The U.N. panel reported that specialized police units carried out 281 summary executions in 2024 alone, including 22 women and 8 children, raising concerns about serious human rights abuses.
The lines between official forces and informal militias are increasingly blurred. Experts noted that many vigilante groups include local police officers, some of whom are directly involved in unlawful killings and abuses.
Despite a U.N.-imposed arms embargo, gangs continue to acquire powerful weapons. According to the U.N., arms are being smuggled not only through regional civilian markets but also diverted from police stockpiles in Haiti and the neighboring Dominican Republic.
With Haiti’s national army still in a rebuilding phase, the overstretched police force under pressure, and international support lagging, U.N. officials warn that gangs will likely continue to dominate unless immediate and robust international action is taken.
