UN Secretary-General Visits Haiti Amid Escalating Gang Violence

António Guterres traveled to Port-au-Prince on Tuesday to assess the security and humanitarian crisis fueled by widespread gang violence. He met with Prime Minister Alix Didier-Fils-Aimé, visited the headquarters of a newly deployed multinational security force, and toured a shelter for displaced persons.

Security Situation and Casualties

According to UN statistics, 2,300 people have been killed and 100 kidnapped in Haiti so far this year. Gangs control an estimated 70% of the capital, Port-au-Prince.

Last weekend, over 30 people were killed, injured, or reported missing in the Cité Soleil slum, according to the Cooperative for Peace and Development.

The kidnapping crisis has also affected government officials. James Boyard, cabinet director of the Defense Ministry, was abducted last week in a district of Port-au-Prince previously considered relatively safe.

Displacement and Humanitarian Conditions

The violence has displaced 1.5 million people across Haiti. In Port-au-Prince, over 300,000 people have been displaced—a record for the city. The UN International Organization for Migration reported that more than 18,000 people fled the Cité Soleil slum in May alone.

At a makeshift shelter in a former school, over 1,200 displaced individuals are living with limited privacy and receiving one meal per day. Some residents have been in the shelter for up to four years. During the Secretary-General's visit, he met with six women who complained about the lack of privacy and food. As he departed, one man shouted, "We want to go back home!"

"As long as we're alive we have hope, but... things are difficult."
— Wendy Cejour, 26, shelter resident

Multinational Security Force

The UN Security Council approved a new gang-suppression force in September, replacing a previous Kenyan-led mission. The new force includes troops from Jamaica, Chad, El Salvador, and Guatemala, numbering fewer than 1,000 personnel.

The force is expected to begin operations in the coming weeks and is tasked with supporting Haiti's National Police and Armed Forces. The stated goal of the mission is to help restore security so that elections can be held.

Political Context

Haiti has not had a president since Jovenel Moïse was assassinated in July 2021. Prime Minister Alix Didier-Fils-Aimé stated that security is a priority for the transitional government in order to hold elections and return to republican rule. He said Guterres could help ensure that countries backing the new security force "live up to their engagement."

Official Statements

"What I saw will not leave me. Each day is a fight to survive... The women and the children pay the highest price."
— Secretary-General António Guterres

Human Rights Watch urged Guterres to target the root causes of the violence.