Jean Fegan Regala/AP Hide Caption A wounded security guard looks on after being shot by gunmen at a general hospital in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Tuesday, December 24, 2024.
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Jean Fegan Regala/AP
UNITED NATIONS — Haitian gangs have overrun the capital, Port-au-Prince, and the United Nations chief has warned that without additional international support for the embattled national police, it could lead to a complete collapse of government authority.
Secretary-General António Guterres said in a report released on the sidelines of Wednesday’s Security Council meeting that “time is of the essence” regarding the deteriorating situation in the Western Hemisphere’s poorest countries.
He said further delays in sending additional police officers or providing additional support to multinational forces trying to curb gang violence “risk a catastrophic collapse of the national security apparatus.”
“This could lead to gangs overrunning entire metropolitan areas, resulting in a complete collapse of state power and the inability to sustain international operations, including support for communities in need at home. ” Guterres said.
“We must urgently do everything we can to prevent such an outcome,” he told the Security Council.
Kenya is leading a multinational police force, with 217 more officers arriving over the weekend, bringing the total deployment to more than 600, below the 1,000 promised by the president. An advance contingent of 150 Guatemalans and eight Salvadoran troops also arrived, but their strength remained far below the expected 2,500 soldiers.
The power of Haiti’s gangs has increased since the assassination of President Juvenel Moïse in 2021.
More than 5,600 people were reported killed across Haiti last year, according to the United Nations. According to the United Nations Human Rights Office, the number of murders has increased by more than 20% compared to all of 2023.
Maria Isabel Salvador, the United Nations special envoy for Haiti, told the Security Council that more than 1 million Haitians have been forced to flee their homes due to gang violence, and that many have fled their homes after armed groups destroyed their homes. He said they were crammed into makeshift and unsanitary shelters.
She said the humanitarian crisis in Haiti has reached “alarming levels”, with approximately 2 million people facing emergency levels of food insecurity and 6,000 facing starvation.
Haitian leaders have called for the creation of a United Nations peacekeeping force to replace the multinational force, a request backed by the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States, the United States and dozens of other countries. The multinational force is funded by a trust fund, with a commitment of just $101.1 million, while the UN force will be funded from the UN peacekeeping budget.
Guterres is preparing options for the United Nations’ future role in Haiti.
Jean-Victor Havel Jean-Baptiste, Haiti’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, told the Council that UN peacekeeping operations are critical. Echoing Guterres, he said gang violence, massacres and kidnappings pose an “existential threat” to the safety and security of Haitians and threaten “the very existence of the nation.”
Guterres said he was “appalled by the brutality and scale of violence” by gangs, citing reports of sexual violence, including gang rapes and child recruitment.
“Beginnings in the political process contributed to the enabling environment for these atrocities,” he said.
Mr Guterres said the transition roadmap that began after Mr Moise’s assassination had been “worryingly slow”.
“Simply put, the goal of restoring democratic institutions by February 2026 is in jeopardy,” the UN Secretary-General said.
