New UN data shows that more than 1,200 people were killed and 522 wounded in Haiti between July and September. This represents a 27% increase in casualties compared to the second quarter. Figures could get even worse, as a new wave of coordinated gang attacks isterrorizing areas that had previously been spared. About 10,000 people were forced to fleeparts of Port-au-Prince, while nearly 22,000 more were displaced in Arcahaie, north of the capital. Gangs also fired at a UN helicopter used by the World Food Program to deliver aid and at US embassy vehicles, while a Catholic charity’s hospital clinic was vandalized and set on fire. On Oct. 31, a new UN report projected that 5.4 million Haitiansânearly half the populationâwill face crisis or worse levels of acute food insecurity by February 2025. Despite the ever-rising violence, the US government continues its deportation flights.
From The New Humanitarian, Nov. 1
Photo: El Soberano
Haiti: crisis deepens as year draws to close
On Dec. 6-7, more than 180 peopleâmostly elderlyâwere killed in Port-au-Prince by members of a gang whose leader targeted followers of the Vodou religion, blaming them for his son’s illness. Days later, an attack in Artibonite department caused yet more bloodshed, another example of the violence extending well beyond the capital. In the past few weeks, gangs have consolidated their grip on new areas of Port-au-Prince, forcing the international airport to close and humanitarian workers to relocate outside the country.
According to the latest report from the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti (IJDH), “Haiti now has the highest level of internal displacement due to crime-related violence in the world.” Meanwhile, a new UN study revealed that three quarters of the more than 700,000 displaced Haitians reported having received no humanitarian assistance at all. One in two Haitians face acute hunger. The gang violence has killed at least 5,000 peoplebetween January and November, while killings by vigilante groups are also escalating. (TNH)
UN warns of alarming surge in gang violence in Haiti
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) reported Jan. 8 that the escalating gang violence in Haiti has reached alarming levels, with over 5,600 reported fatalities in 2024. (Jurist)
Guatemalan troops arrive in Haiti
A total of 150 Guatemalan police and military troops and eight Salvadoran soldiers have landed in Port-au-Prince to join the Kenya-led security support mission intended to help Haitian police fight gangs. Since 400 Kenyans were deployed last June, the mission, which is underfunded and under-equipped, has had little to no success. Gangs have targeted new areas, carried out a string of massacres, and destroyed health infrastructure. (TNI)
Haitian displacement passes one million
The number of displaced people in Haiti has soared past one million (almost 10% of the population)âa new record high that represents a tripling over the last year, according to the UNÂ migration agency, IOM. A new report by the National Human Rights Defense Network in Haiti (RNDDH) says 95% of those living in the country’s 117 displacement camps have fled gang violence. In these sites, they face poor sanitary conditions, overcrowding, and exposure to infectious diseases. Access to basic services is very limited, with 39% of the residents having no access to drinking water. Waste is only collected irregularly, and the Haitian state cleans only 5% of the camps. There are no toilets in 29% of them and, even when there are, women and girls canât use them at night without risking gender-based or sexual violence. In 15% of the camps, residents have no access to healthcare. (TNH)
Haiti: first fatality in Multinational Security Support mission
The UN-approved Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission that started deploying last year has registered its first fatality: A Kenyan police officer severely injured during a joint operation with the Haitian police in the Artibonite department died after being evacuated. Gangs have scaled up their attacks in different areas of Port-au-Prince, displacing thousandsand killing dozens of people in horrific ways, including setting children on fire. (TNH)
Haiti police launch raid on Port-au-Prince gang stronghold
Haitian police conducted a large-scale operation on March 2 in the Lower Delmas area of Port-au-Prince, targeting the stronghold of powerful gang leader Jimmy ChĂ©rizier, widely known as “Barbecue.” ChĂ©rizier leads Viv Ansanm (Live Together), a powerful coalition of gangs that controls significant portions of the capital city.
Several gang members were reportedly killed during the raid, which local sources say involved military drones carrying explosives. The operation was carried out by a special task force established just two days ago by the government to combat insecurity.
Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime praised the assault in a statement on X, saying: “The state will not give in to terror. Haitian people, keep hope: the government stands with you in these difficult times. Victory against the gangs is underway.”
Initial reports that Chérizier was wounded in the operation appear to be incorrect. According to local media, the gang leader narrowly escaped the raid, though several of his lieutenants were shot. In a video circulating after the attack, Chérizier promised retaliation against police forces. (Jurist)
Haitians protest as ‘fall of Port-au-Prince’ looms
With Port-au-Prince set to fall under the full control of gangsâand after a months-long wave of relentless attacks in different neighbourhoodsâthousands of Haitians took to the streetsof the capital on March 18-19 to protest against the increasingly dire situation. Carrying signs, megaphones and sticks, they urged the transitional government to act. Several people were wounded in clashes with the police. Despite the deployment of a Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission, authorities have failed to curb rampant gang violence. On March 15, four MSF vehicles were shot at, forcing the organization to suspend activities at one of its hospitals yet again. (TNH)
Another Kenyan officer killed in Haiti
A Kenyan police officer deployed to help fight insecurity in Haiti has been killed in an ambush in the Artibonite department. Gang members set three armored vehicles on fire, kidnapped the officer, and later circulated videos of his dead body. This is the second member of the Kenyan-led Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission to have been killed this year. Gangs, meanwhile, have continued to tighten their grip on the capital. (TNS)