Left vulnerable, the communities then formed self -defense groups and the Haitian security forces strengthened their operations and made small gains to be postponed by the gangs again.
And at all stages of this cycle, human rights violations are committed against civilians, according to a report published Friday by the United Nations Office in Haiti (Binuh) and the United Nations Human Rights Office (Ohchr).
“Taken in the midst of this endless horror story are the Haitian people, who are at the mercy of horrible violence by gangs and exposed to human rights violations of the security forces and the supposedly” self-defense “groups,” said Volker Türk, High-commissioner for human rights.
The report also warned of “the first signs of criminal governance” in the Center department where gangs begin to consolidate their gains and act as a de facto governance authority.
Four years of horror
Since 2021 and the assassination of President Jenel Moïse, Gang Violence has dominated the capital Port-au-Prince which is now controlled by 85% by the gangs, said the UN.
More than 1.3 million Haitians were moved because of this violence, representing the greatest movement due to political upheavals in Haitian history.
Food insecurity among displaced Haitians is endemic, with Haiti one of the five countries of the world that suffers from famine conditions.
In March 2025, violence also extended into previously intact areas of the country, in particular the Articonites and Central departments where 92,000 and 147,000 people were moved respectively.
The report also noted that recently, the gangs began to extend beyond the center of Haiti towards the border of the Dominican Republic, in the apparent goal of controlling the key routes through which a large part of the traffic of illegal weapons occurs.
“The expansion of territorial control of gangs presents a major risk of spreading violence and Increase in transnational traffic in weapons and people“Said Ravina Shamdasani, a Hcr spokesperson during a briefing in Geneva.
Human rights in danger
Between October 2024 and June 2025, 4,864 people in Haiti were killed by the violence of the gangs. At least hundreds of others were injured, kidnapped, raped and treated.
“Human rights violations outside of Port-au-Prince is intensifying in the regions of the country where the presence of the state is extremely limited,” said Ulrika Richardson, Binuh acting chief and resident coordinator of the UN.
While many of these human rights violations – including the denial of the right to life and physical integrity, sexual violence and forced displacement – are perpetrated by organized gangs, there are also human rights violations documented in the hands of the Haitian authorities.
More specifically, between October 2024 and June 2025, there were 19 extrajudicial executions by the security forces in the Artibonite and Central Departments – 17 in Artibonite.
Self -defense groups, which are increasingly widespread due to the inadequate security of the state, have also committed human rights violations, often in the form of lynchagies of alleged gangs.
“The violations and the abuse of human rights that we have documented are additional evidence of the reason why Haiti and the international community need urgently to end violence,” said Türk.
At this stage, there was no violation of documented human rights committed by the Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) allowed by the United Nations funded and largely endowed by Kenya.
No responsibility
The Haitian national police and the MSS launched several operations to regain the territory lost against the gangs. Although some were briefly successful, operations have not been able to maintain a sustainable presence or protect local communities, according to the report.
In fact, the report suggests that in the center, the situation is trendy in the opposite direction, gangs consolidating territorial gains outside the capital and begin to institute forms of criminal governance.
Following this persistent insecurity, judicial operations are practically stopping the departments of the Center and the Artibonite.
“The international community must strengthen its support for the authorities, who assume the main responsibility to protect the Haitian population,” said Richardson.
Originally published at Almouwatin.com
