Gangs now control 90% of Haitian capital: UN

Police officers stand guard during an anti-gang operation in the Kenscoff neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph) (Odelyn Joseph/AP)

Armed gangs have tightened their grip on Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince, UN officials warned Wednesday, saying it is possible a “total collapse” of state presence in the city could occur.

“We have continued to witness a sharp erosion of state authority and the rule of law. Brutal gang violence affects every aspect of public and private life,” Miroslav Jenca, UN assistant secretary-general for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas, told a Security Council meeting.

Despite “their best efforts,” local police and a Kenya-led multinational support mission have been unable to make headway in restoring state authority, he said.

Haiti -- the poorest country in the Americas -- has suffered from political instability for decades and over the past year has seen soaring violence by armed groups.

“Without increased action by the international community, the total collapse of state presence in the capital could become a very real scenario,” Jenca said.

“The options we have on the table now will be considerably less costly and complex than if there is a total collapse of state presence,” he said, referring to the Secretary-general Antonio Guterres’s proposal to create a UN mission to provide logistical support for the Kenya-led force.

Violent armed gangs now have some 90 percent of Port-au-Prince under their grip, said Ghada Waly, director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime. The previous assessment was 85 percent.

With the state’s capacity to govern rapidly shrinking, criminal gangs are stepping into the void, she warned.

“They are establishing parallel governance structures and providing rudimentary public services,” she said.

“Even more disturbing are new allegations of trafficking in persons for the purpose of organ removal,” she said, citing related reports at a medical facility in Petion-Ville and a hospital in northern Haiti.

Gang violence has continued to soar since an organized assault prompted the resignation last year of prime minister Ariel Henry.

He was replaced by a frail transitional council that is mandated to prepare for elections by February 2026.

Its last elections were in 2016.