UN Secretary‑General António Guterres will visit Haiti to meet victims and evaluate the UN's humanitarian and security efforts amid rising gang violence. Nearly 1.5 million people are internally displaced and over 5 million face severe food insecurity. The UN Security Council has approved a new Gang Suppression Force to replace the criticized MMAS, while UN rights officials urge urgent action to tackle impunity after thousands of deaths and injuries.
UN Secretary-General to Visit Gang‑Plagued Haiti to Support Victims and Assess Response
Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas, has for years been plagued by instability (Clarens SIFFROY)(Clarens SIFFROY/AFP/AFP)
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres will travel to Port‑au‑Prince on Tuesday to express solidarity with victims and to review the UN's humanitarian and security response to escalating gang violence in Haiti.
Visit Objectives
Guterres, who last visited the country in July 2023, is scheduled to meet displaced men, women and children whose lives have been disrupted by violence, according to his office. He will also hold talks with Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils‑Aimé and assess UN logistical and operational support to the new international Gang Suppression Force.
“He will see firsthand the humanitarian and security challenges facing the country, as well as efforts by national authorities and the international community to restore stability and support the Haitian people,” UN spokesperson Farhan Haq said.
Humanitarian Toll
Haiti — the poorest country in the Americas — is experiencing a severe humanitarian crisis. UN figures indicate nearly 1.5 million people are internally displaced in a nation of roughly 11 million, and more than 5 million people face severe food insecurity. Widespread killings, rapes, looting and kidnappings by powerful gangs have driven much of the displacement and suffering.
Security Response
The UN Security Council last year approved a multinational Gang Suppression Force tasked with neutralizing heavily armed groups. The new force is intended to replace the earlier Multinational Mission to Support the Haitian Police (MMAS), which was criticized as under‑equipped and under‑funded. Haq said Guterres will assess the UN’s support to Haiti “in facing its multidimensional crisis, including the logistical and operational support to the Gang Suppression Force.”
Rights Concerns and Recent Figures
UN human rights chief Volker Türk has described the new force as “urgently needed” and has urged Haitian authorities to address pervasive impunity. Türk’s office reported that gang-related violence claimed more than 5,500 lives between March 1, 2025 and January 15, 2026. The report notes that nearly 3,500 of those deaths occurred during anti‑gang operations and include both suspected gang members and civilians.
Separately, rights officials have said that since the start of the year there have been at least 2,300 deaths, 1,100 injuries and 99 kidnappings, underscoring the urgency of establishing effective judicial and accountability mechanisms.
Political Context
The security crisis intensified in early 2024 when a surge of gang violence forced the country’s unelected prime minister to resign. An interim presidential council briefly governed, and when its mandate ended in February this year, executive authority passed to Prime Minister Fils‑Aimé. Haiti has not held national elections since 2016, with insecurity cited as a primary obstacle.
What To Watch
- Guterres’ assessment of UN operational support to the Gang Suppression Force and any new commitments.
- Discussions between the UN and Haitian authorities on accountability and judicial units to tackle impunity.
- Humanitarian access and measures to protect civilians during upcoming security operations.
Guterres’ visit aims to draw international attention to Haiti’s intertwined humanitarian, security and political crises and to galvanize coordinated action to protect civilians and restore stability.
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