UN Secretary General António Guterres made a one-day visit to Port-au-Prince on Tuesday, where surging gang violence has left more than one in ten Haitians homeless. New UN data show that 2,300 people have been killed so far this year, with another 100 kidnapped, while 1.5 million have been displaced across the country.
Guterres’ convoy sped through a neighbourhood once fully controlled by gangs, passing decimated car dealerships, abandoned homes, and concrete buildings pockmarked with bullet holes. Graffiti on a crumbling wall read: “Down with Viv Ansanm, long live the police.” Viv Ansanm, a powerful gang federation designated a foreign terrorist organisation by the US government, is estimated to control 70% of the capital.
The visit came after more than 30 people were killed, injured, or went missing last weekend in Cité Soleil, a seaside slum, according to the Cooperative for Peace and Development, a local human rights organisation. “Gang violence is paralyzing Haiti, its economy, education system & aid delivery. But the situation can be turned around,” Guterres wrote on X.
New Security Force Begins Operations
Guterres’ first stop was the headquarters of the new gang-suppression force, which the UN Security Council approved in September. It replaces a UN-backed mission led by Kenyan police that aimed to help Haiti’s National Police fight gangs but remained underfunded and understaffed. So far, Jamaica, Chad, El Salvador, and Guatemala have deployed fewer than 1,000 troops, with operations expected to start in the coming weeks. They will work alongside Haiti’s National Police and its growing Armed Forces, as hundreds of Haitian men and a few women lined up on a dusty road hoping to enlist.
Guterres then met behind closed doors with Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, who is under pressure to hold elections in the country of nearly 12 million people. Haiti has not had a president since Jovenel Moïse was assassinated in July 2021. “We had a frank conversation about what’s happening in Haiti, the vision the government has for the future,” Fils-Aimé said. He stressed that security is a priority so the transitional government can hold elections and “get back to republican rule.” He added that Guterres can help by ensuring that countries backing the force “live up to their engagement.”
The displacement crisis is worsening. More than 300,000 people have fled their homes in Port-au-Prince alone, including over 18,000 from Cité Soleil in May, according to the UN International Organisation for Migration (IOM). “Haiti’s displacement crisis is entering an even more alarming phase,” said Gregoire Goodstein, IOM chief of mission in Haiti.
Guterres also visited a makeshift shelter in a former school, where more than 1,200 people sleep side by side, with only one meal a day guaranteed. Many have been living there for up to four years after gangs shot up their communities and set fire to them. “Solino is not ready,” said 31-year-old Clifford Lala, referring to his neighbourhood, one of the last holdouts until gangs overran it. Inside a hot classroom, six women told Guterres about the lack of privacy, even for showering or using the bathroom. “It’s skin-to-skin and mouth-to-mouth,” one said. “We’re going to do our best,” Guterres replied. Outside, a man banged on the building’s metal siding and shouted, “We want to go back home!” as security whisked Guterres away.
Wendy Cejour, 26, told the AP that he and his family have been at the school for a year and a half. “As long as we’re alive we have hope, but…things are difficult. We ask…to return to our neighbourhood to live better, because we don’t have a life here.”
A day before the visit, Human Rights Watch published a letter urging Guterres to protect the population and target the root causes of violence. The group called for a “full-fledged UN mission” in Haiti, arguing that “even when fully staffed and resourced, security measures alone will not suffice.” They urged effective protection for victims, credible pathways for disengagement from criminal groups, and accountability for abuses.
The crisis in Haiti echoes broader challenges of displacement and security that Europe has faced, particularly in the Balkans and the Mediterranean. As the UNHCR deputy chief recently urged gradual change to EU protection for Ukrainians, the situation in Haiti underscores the need for coordinated international responses to forced migration. Meanwhile, landmines continue to contaminate 58 states, as the UN rights chief renews calls for a ban—a reminder that security threats persist globally.
