Escalating gang violence outside the Haitian capital has left more than 1,000 people dead and forced hundreds of thousands to flee since October 2024, raising serious concerns about regional destabilization, a new UN report warns.
The joint report by the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) and the UN Human Rights Office outlines how violent incidents have sharply increased across the Artibonite and Centre departments in recent months. Gangs are extending their reach along key routes in the north and centre, and even toward the Dominican Republic.
“Human rights abuses outside Port-au-Prince are intensifying in areas of the country where the presence of the State is extremely limited,” said Ulrika Richardson, acting head of BINUH. “The international community must strengthen its support to the authorities, who bear the primary responsibility for protecting the Haitian population.”
From October 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025, at least 1,018 people were killed, 213 injured, and 620 abducted in these regions alone, with the nationwide death toll during that period reaching 4,864, the report says. Between 1 January 2025 and 30 June at least 3,141 people were killed.
The massacre in Pont Sondé last October, where more than 100 people were killed, marked a grim turning point. That violence set off a chain reaction of attacks and mass displacement — including the complete flight of all 100,000 residents from Mirebalais in the Centre department earlier this year.
While Haitian authorities have deployed specialized police units and received some support from the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission, their efforts have only marginally slowed gang expansion. Limited resources have made it impossible to reclaim full control.
The report also documents abuses by self-styled “self-defence” groups and cases of summary executions by Haitian security forces, targeting suspected gang affiliates.
“Caught in the middle of this unending horror story are the Haitian people,” said UN Human Rights Commissioner Volker Türk, “who are at the mercy of horrific violence by gangs and exposed to human rights violations from the security forces and abuses by the so-called ‘self-defence’ groups.”
The report emphasizes the growing threat of transnational crime, including arms and human trafficking, and calls for urgent action to bolster Haiti’s police force and judiciary. Among its recommendations are:
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Adequate resourcing of police operations in line with international human rights law
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Creation of specialized judicial units to tackle corruption and mass crimes, including sexual violence
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Full implementation of the arms embargo
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Continued support for BINUH and strengthening of the MSS mission
The UN says immediate and sustained action is crucial to prevent Haiti’s crisis from further spilling across borders and undermining regional stability.
