The United Nations (UN) has warned of a ‘total state collapse’ in Haiti as gangs tighten their grip in the Caribbean nation.
In a report submitted to the UN Security Council, a rise in gang-related activities, particularly in the capital of Port-au-Prince, left the country on the brink.
“The capital city was paralysed by gangs and isolated due to the ongoing suspension of international commercial flights into the international airport,” Miroslav Jenca, Assistant Secretary-General for the Americas at the Department of Political Affairs (DPPA), told the UN.
“As gang control expands, the state’s capacity to govern is rapidly shrinking, with social, economic, and security implications,” added Ghada Fathi Waly, in a briefing remotely from Vienna.
This is happening at a time when Kenyan police officers are reported to be struggling to contain the gangs whose influence only continues to grow.
The Kenyan forces are leading the Multinational Security Support (MSS) Mission, but reports that emerged from Haiti revealed that inadequate funding and equipment have severely dented the mission's hopes of success.
The Kenyan forces recently marked their first anniversary in Haiti, but have come under immense scrutiny over their failure to curb the spread of gang violence.
Since January, the UN Integrated Office in Haiti, recorded the deaths of over 4,000 individuals, a 24 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2024.
Amidst increasing public frustration with the limited protection capacity of the state, “vigilante” or self-defence groups are now gaining in popular appeal.
Although some are motivated by the urgent need to protect their communities, many operate outside existing legal frameworks, in some cases, engaging in extrajudicial actions and colluding with gangs.
The rise of these actors is pushing demand for guns and military-grade weapons, “fuelling illicit arms markets and raising the risk of licit weapons being diverted to criminal elements.
Meanwhile, the broader deterioration of the security and economic situation in the capital and the rest of the country continues to fuel a sharper escalation in human rights violations.
