Haiti’s crisis has reached a “critical phase,” senior United Nations officials told the Security Council on Wednesday, as powerful gangs expand their control across the country and the political transition nears its February 7 deadline.
Carlos Ruiz-Massieu, head of the UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), urged Haitian leaders to prevent further political fragmentation and prioritise elections. “Let us be clear: the country no longer has time to waste on prolonged internal struggles,” he said, stressing the need for continuity of governance and coordinated efforts to complete the transition.
While recent steps toward elections—such as the December 1 adoption of an electoral decree and a published voting calendar—are encouraging, progress comes amid a worsening security situation. Gangs continue to carry out coordinated attacks, control key economic corridors and agricultural regions, and displace thousands, stretching police and humanitarian resources to the limit. The murder rate in 2025 rose nearly 20 percent compared with 2024.
Some security gains have been made, including police operations supported by the UN-authorised Gang Suppression Force, which have reopened roads in parts of Port-au-Prince and the Artibonite Department, and gradually restored state presence at the capital’s Champ de Mars. Officials, however, warned that these advances remain fragile.
John Brandolino, Acting Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), highlighted a transformation in Haiti’s criminal landscape. Once-fragmented gangs have reorganised into structured networks with defined leadership, territorial ambitions, and diversified revenue streams. Groups like Viv Ansanm have coordinated large-scale attacks on police, prisons, and economic infrastructure, consolidating control over Port-au-Prince and strategic corridors. Extortion, alongside drug, arms, and ammunition trafficking, has become a core revenue source.
The crisis increasingly has regional implications, driven by arms trafficking, illicit financial flows, and corruption. UN officials stressed the importance of sustaining international support for the Gang Suppression Force and the UN Support Office in Haiti.
The humanitarian situation remains dire, with 6.4 million people in need of assistance, and Haiti ranking among the least-funded global humanitarian responses.
