UNIPA News(Port au Prince)11 July-Haiti’s humanitarian and security crisis has intensified, with approximately 1.5 million people displaced by escalating gang violence and at least 1,600 people killed over the past three months, according to the United Nations.
UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Haiti, Carlos Ruiz Massieu, said criminal groups continue to expand their control across the country, particularly in the capital, Port-au-Prince. The UN estimates that gangs, with a combined membership of between 10,000 and 15,000, now influence or control nearly 70 to 75 percent of the capital, severely disrupting public institutions, infrastructure, and essential services.
Ruiz Massieu stressed that restoring stability will require coordinated efforts in security, justice, and development, despite the ongoing international security support mission authorized by the UN Security Council.
The security situation remains highly volatile. According to the latest United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) report, at least 1,642 people have been killed and 745 injured in gang-related violence during 2026. The violence follows a deadly 2025, when more than 5,500 people were killed and over 2,600 injured, highlighting the continued deterioration of public security.
The Kenya-led Multinational Security Support Mission, deployed in 2024, has contributed to protecting key strategic infrastructure. However, the mission has yet to significantly reduce the territorial control exercised by armed criminal groups, which continue to dominate much of Port-au-Prince while expanding into other regions.
Haiti’s humanitarian emergency is unfolding alongside a prolonged economic crisis. According to the World Bank, the country’s economy contracted for the seventh consecutive year in 2025, with real gross domestic product declining by 2.7 percent and average inflation reaching 28.3 percent. Nearly half of the population continues to live in extreme poverty.
Economic prospects remain uncertain. The International Monetary Fund projects Haiti’s economy will contract by a further 1.7 percent in 2026, while inflation is expected to remain elevated at approximately 23.5 percent, underscoring the country’s continuing economic and humanitarian challenges.
