Haiti’s criminal organizations have taken “near-total control” over the capital city, as rising violence pushes the Caribbean nation “closer to the brink,” senior United Nations officials cautioned on Wednesday.
Gangs dominate about 90% of Port-au-Prince, according to Ghada Fathy Waly, executive director of the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime, in her address to the U.N. Security Council. Waly highlighted that these gangs are extending their influence into previously calm regions.
“Southern Haiti, which was until recently shielded from the violence, is now witnessing a significant rise in gang-related incidents,” she stated. “In the eastern regions, criminal groups are exploiting land routes, including key crossings such as Belladere and Malpasse, where attacks on police and customs officials have been reported.”
U.N. Assistant Secretary-General Miroslav Jenca informed the council that “the ongoing gang encirclement of Port-au-Prince” and their strengthened foothold in the capital and beyond is “pushing the situation closer to the brink.”
“While the expansion of territorial control brings gangs additional sources of revenue and bargaining power,” the U.N. experts said in the report, “these attacks are also backed by individuals trying to destabilize the political transition for their own political goals.”
Police officers patrol a neighborhood amid gang-related violence in downtown Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on April 25, 2023. (RICHARD PIERRIN/AFP via Getty Images)
The U.S. State Department issued a travel advisory for Haiti in September 2024, warning Americans against visiting due to kidnapping, crime, civil unrest and limited healthcare.
In May, the Trump administration designated two of Haiti’s most powerful gang networks, Viv Ansanm and Gran Grif, as foreign terrorist organizations and specially designated global terrorists.
