A new United Nations report published Tuesday details a further, shocking rise in gang violence in Haiti as criminal gangs forge alliances and expand to rural areas previously considered safe – killing, raping, kidnapping, and destroying property, among other human rights abuses. The report, released by the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) and the UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), calls for the urgent deployment of the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission authorized by the UN Security Council in October, in accordance with international human rights norms and standards.
“With terrible violence against the population expanding – within and outside Port-au-Prince – and the inability of the police to stop them, the much-needed Multinational Security Support mission needs to be deployed to Haiti as soon as possible,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said.
On October 2, 2023, the UN Security Council authorized an international force to support Haiti’s police, acting under Chapter VII of the UN Charter. The Mission's objective is to assist the Haitian police in curbing rising gang violence and restoring security in the Caribbean country. Resolution 2699 (2023) authorizes the non-UN Multinational Security Support Mission for an initial period of one year, with a review after nine months. It is unclear when the force will be deployed.
Türk warned that across Haiti, at least 3,960 people have been killed, 1,432 injured and 2,951 kidnapped in gang-related violence this year alone.
“The situation in Haiti is cataclysmic. We are continuing to receive reports of killings, sexual violence, displacement and other violence – including in hospitals,” he said.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights stressed that the support mission must include internal oversight mechanisms and other safeguards to ensure its compliance with international human rights norms and standards.
Increased efforts will need to be deployed to strengthen Haiti’s rule of law institutions, in particular the police, the judiciary, and the prison system, the UN report notes.
The latest BINUH report focuses on the Bas-Artibonite district, located in Central Haiti, about 100 kilometers from the capital Port-au-Prince, which has seen a significant rise in gang violence in the last two years. Between January 2022 and October 2023, at least 1,694 people were killed, injured, or kidnapped in Bas-Artibonite.
Kidnapping for ransom by criminal groups has become a constant fear for users of public transport across Bas-Artibonite, the report states.
The report documents criminal groups rampaging through “rival” villages, executing local people and using sexual violence against women and even very young children. The gangs also loot farmers’ properties, crops and livestock and destroy irrigation canals, contributing to the displacement of more than 22,000 people from their villages and significantly reducing the amount of cultivated land, heightening food insecurity.
In September 2023, more than 45 percent of the population of Bas-Artibonite were in a situation of acute food insecurity. Gang violence has also left many farming families unable to repay their debts or to access basic services.
In light of the escalation of violence and following the October 2023 report of the UN Panel of Experts on Haiti, the BINUH report also calls on the Security Council to update the list of individuals and entities subject to UN sanctions for supporting, preparing, ordering, or committing acts contrary to international human rights law.
“There needs to be continued emphasis on the implementation of the arms embargo and sanctions targeting those behind this untenable situation,” the High Commissioner said.
“I also call on the Haitian authorities to fulfil their international human rights obligations and to put in place robust measures to strengthen the country’s institutions and improve governance, including by tackling corruption and addressing impunity.”
In Haiti, millions of people need humanitarian aid, amid the deteriorating security situation. The UN warns that humanitarian access is seriously compromised by insecurity.
Violent armed gangs control much of the capital, gain increasing control of Port-au-Prince, and have spread to other parts of the country. They have carried out massacres and kidnappings, human trafficking and sexual violence. The deteriorating security situation has also aggravated the humanitarian crisis, with almost half the population, around 4.35 million people, experiencing acute hunger.
The United Nations estimates that more than 5.2 million people - 46 percent of the population - require humanitarian aid this year. Among those in need are nearly 3 million children – the highest number on record.
Kidnappings, killings and gang violence have worsened the economic situation and increased insecurity, particularly in the capital. An estimated two million people, including 1.6 million women and children, live in areas that are effectively controlled by gangs.
Armed groups commit serious abuses against the population, forcing entire communities to flee. Some 200,000 people have been internally displaced due to violence since 2022, and tens of thousands have attempted to flee the country.
Further information
Full text: Criminal violence extends beyond Port-au-Prince - The situation in lower Artibonite - From January 2022 to October 2023, UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) and Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) report, released November 28, 2023
https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/countries/haiti/Haiti-report-criminal-violence-artibonite-2023-EN.pdf