According to the latest report from the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) dated January 15, 2026, presented to the Security Council, the year 2025 presents a crucial turning point for Haiti. The expansion of armed gangs beyond Port-au-Prince undermines state authority and paralyzes the country's vital commercial and humanitarian routes.

Gangs targeted individuals suspected of collaborating with or resisting police, while sexual violence, primarily against women and girls, was used as a punitive tactic.

Initially concentrated in the West department, gang violence has spread to new strategic regions, including Arcahaie (West), Mirebalais and Lascahobas (Center) as well as Artibonite.

In response to this threat, the Haitian National Police (PNH), supported by the Haitian Armed Forces and the Gang Supression Force (GSF), intensified its operations. These interventions have allowed the reopening of major national roads, although the situation remains fragile.

Armed violence has intensified in urban and peri-urban areas, with gangs using weapons of war and carrying out coordinated assaults on multiple fronts.

According to statistics from the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), more than 8,100 Haitians were killed between January and November 2025, victims of armed violence. A figure likely underestimated due to limited access to areas controlled by gangs. In Artibonite and the Center, 1,916 deaths were reported in 2025, compared to 1,050 over the same period in 2024. Between September 1 and November 30, 2025, the provisional toll stands at 1,991 killed, including 142 women, 12 girls and 44 boys.

If a slight drop of 6.2% in violence was observed in the last quarter in the capital, it exploded in the provinces, almost doubling in certain rural areas.

Gangs continued to engage in kidnapping for ransom, extortion, and destruction of property, hindering access to essential services, including health care and education. These acts have also exacerbated food insecurity and economic hardship.

Additionally, there are reports of an increase in the trafficking of children, who continue to be used by gangs in various roles, including in violent attacks.

Download the full BINUH report (PDF in English 27 pages): UN-SG-Report-on-the-situation-in-Haiti-(January-2026).pdf

HL/ HaitiLibre