At least 1,408 killed in Haiti as UN warns gang violence is spreading
© UNOCHA/Giles Clarke Haitian police check a driver's papers at a checkpoint.
Key Points(5)
- At least 1,408 people were killed and 656 injured in Haiti between April and June as gang violence continued to spread beyond Port-au-Prince despite intensified security operations in the capital, according to a new United Nations report.
- The report, released Tuesday by the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), paints a grim picture of a security crisis that is increasingly reaching communities outside the capital as armed groups seek new territory and sources of revenue.
- The casualty toll for the second quarter was lower than during the first three months of 2026, when at least 1,642 people were killed and 745 injured.
- However, the UN warned that the violence remains widespread and continues to exact a heavy toll on civilians.
- “These figures show that the population continues to bear an unacceptable toll from violence.
At least 1,408 people were killed and 656 injured in Haiti between April and June as gang violence continued to spread beyond Port-au-Prince despite intensified security operations in the capital, according to a new United Nations report.
The report, released Tuesday by the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), paints a grim picture of a security crisis that is increasingly reaching communities outside the capital as armed groups seek new territory and sources of revenue.
The casualty toll for the second quarter was lower than during the first three months of 2026, when at least 1,642 people were killed and 745 injured. However, the UN warned that the violence remains widespread and continues to exact a heavy toll on civilians.
“These figures show that the population continues to bear an unacceptable toll from violence. Their protection must remain at the heart of all efforts to restore security, particularly for children, women and other people exposed to heightened risks,” Carlos Ruiz Massieu, head of BINUH and the UN’s top representative in Haiti, said.
Gang attacks accounted for 55% of those killed or injured during the quarter, while more than 40% of casualties occurred during security operations targeting gangs. About 5% were attributed to self-defense groups.
Violence shifts across Port-au-Prince
Security operations helped limit gang activity in some parts of Port-au-Prince, including Delmas and Tabarre, but other areas experienced an increase in violence.
Between April and June, rival gangs engaged in intense fighting in Plaine du Cul-de-Sac and several neighborhoods of Cité Soleil as they competed for territory and access to illicit revenue.
Those clashes left 463 people dead and 256 injured and forced more than 18,000 residents to flee their homes. Health care and education services were also suspended in affected areas.
Outside the capital, gangs continued their territorial expansion.
In the Artibonite department, armed groups carried out attacks on communities, targeting residents in their homes and on the streets, as well as farmers working in their fields.
Gang violence also reached new areas in Haiti’s southeast, with armed raids documented for the first time in Séguin, according to BINUH.
Hundreds subjected to sexual violence
The UN report also documented widespread sexual violence by armed groups.
At least 796 people were victims of gang-related rape during the quarter, including 772 women and 23 girls. According to BINUH, 87% of the victims were subjected to gang rape.
Victims reported severe beatings and sexual assaults, including attacks carried out in front of their children or other relatives. In some cases, homes were burned as gangs sought to punish and forcibly displace residents living in areas controlled by rivals.
Kidnappings also increased, with at least 81 people abducted during the quarter, up from 57 during the previous three months.
Civilians caught in anti-gang operations
The UN also raised concerns about civilian casualties during operations by security forces.
More than 40% of all people killed or injured during the quarter were casualties of security operations against gangs, some of which involved a foreign private military company and the use of explosive drones.
At least 95 of those victims were not associated with gangs. Nine people, including six children, were killed or injured in explosive-drone operations, BINUH said.
The report also documented 14 cases of alleged summary executions or attempted summary executions involving members of the Haitian National Police.
BINUH stressed that the use of lethal force by law enforcement officers and others acting on behalf of the state must comply with international human rights law and called for accountability for serious violations.
The UN is also urging the international community to keep Haiti high on its agenda and accelerate the full deployment of the Gang Suppression Force, the international security mission created to reinforce the Haitian National Police.
The latest figures underscore the scale of the challenge facing Haitian authorities and their international partners as gangs respond to pressure in Port-au-Prince by expanding into other parts of the country, exposing more communities to killings, displacement and other abuses.
