UN Human Rights Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani on escalating gang violence in Haiti

“Escalating gang violence outside Port-au-Prince – where the presence of the State is extremely limited – has claimed over 1,000 lives and forced hundreds of thousands to flee since October 2024,” UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani told the biweekly press briefing in Geneva.

The mass killing in Pont Sondé in the Lower Artibonite region in October 2024 marked a major turning point in the cycle of violence between gangs and the so-called ‘self-defence’ groups, she highlighted. Several other mass killings followed, causing mass displacement, including in the town of Mirebalais in Centre department which earlier this year saw all its 100,000 residents flee.

“Between 1 October 2024 and 30 June this year, the total number of killings across Haiti was 4,864. Of these, at least 1,018 people have been killed in Artibonite and Centre areas, as well as in Ganthier and Fonds Parisien in the west of the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area,” Shamdasani said.

The report shows how violence has increased sharply in recent months, especially in the Lower Artibonite and Centre departments, as gangs continue to extend their influence along key routes in the north and centre of the country, and towards the Dominican Republic.

“The expansion of gang territorial control poses a major risk of spreading violence and increasing transnational trafficking in arms and people,” the spokesperson stressed.

The Haitian authorities have deployed specialised police units, supported by the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission, to some extent slowing the gangs’ advances. Ultimately, however, given their lack of resources, they have been unable to reassert control over the affected areas.

Against this backdrop, human rights abuses by self-defence groups have increased. Summary executions involving Haitian security forces have also been committed against individuals accused of supporting gangs, the report says.

“Caught in the middle of this unending horror story are the Haitian people, who are at the mercy of horrific violence by gangs and exposed to human rights violations from the security forces as well as abuses by the so-called ‘self-defence’ groups,” Shamdasani said.

“The human rights violations and abuses that we have documented are further evidence of why Haiti and the international community urgently need to step up to end this violence,” she said.

“We call on the Haitian authorities to ensure police have the necessary resources to tackle the gangs, with full respect for international human rights law. Specialised judicial units are needed to combat corruption and mass crimes, including sexual violence,” she added.

“It is crucial that the international community strengthens its support to the authorities, who bear the primary responsibility for protecting the Haitian population,” said Shamdasani.

The international community also needs to ensure and maintain BINUH’s full operational capacity so that the office can continue to advise and support the Haitian government in its efforts to strengthen good governance and ensure the respect for, and promotion of, human rights.

The strengthening of the MSS mission and the full implementation of the arms embargo will be equally essential to restore security and the rule of law in Haiti.

For more information and media requests, please contact (DELETE AS APPROPRIATE )

Ravina Shamdasani: +41 22 917 9169 / ravina.shamdasani@un.org

Liz Throssell: +41 22 917 9296 / elizabeth.throssell@un.org

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