By Anjali Sharma
UNITED NATIONS – UN human rights chief Volker Türk on Friday voiced the alarm over the rapidly deteriorating situation in Haiti, called it a “catastrophe” fuelled by gang violence, widespread impunity and a political process that is hanging by a thread.
Volker Türk told that Haiti had reached “yet another crisis point,” with heavily armed gangs expanding their control, public institutions in ruins and a humanitarian emergency deepening by the day.
“I am not sure the usual description of gang violence captures the amount of unbearable suffering that has been inflicted on the Haitian people,” Mr. Türk said.
OHCHR stated that between July 2024 and February 2025, 4,239 people were killed and 1,356 injured, with 92 per cent of casualties attributed to gun violence.
They reported that gangs, armed with increasingly sophisticated weapons mostly trafficked from abroad, are killing civilians, destroying schools and healthcare facilities, and using sexual violence and mass kidnappings to terrorise communities.
Mr. Turk warned that gangs are no longer just operating in pockets of Port-au-Prince they are implementing their own rule across wider parts of the capital and beyond.
The Viv Ansanm gang coalition and others have launched coordinated attacks, often outnumbering police, and have destroyed or taken over schools, orphanages, courts, media outlets and hospitals, OHCHR stated.
Over 207 people were killed over five days in Cité Soleil last December, OCHA reported.
Mr. Türk said that sexual violence is being used deliberately to assert control, citing gang rapes in public spaces and even the execution of victims after assault.
The forced recruitment and trafficking of children is also on the rise.
Some 700 kidnappings were documented during the reporting period. “Those who attempted to resist abduction were often shot dead,” Mr. Türk said.
Turk noted that despite efforts by the Haitian National Police and the Security Council mandated Multinational Security Support Mission, the State is losing ground.
He stressed that law enforcement operations against gangs have resulted in over 2,000 people killed or injured a 60 per cent increase with a third of those victims not involved in any violence.
OHCHR documented at least 219 extrajudicial executions by specialized police units during the reported period, up from just 33 the year before.
There has been a rise in mob lynchings and self-defence groups, sometimes with police complicity, he added.
Mr. Türk stressed the urgent need to accelerate the deployment of the Multinational Security Support Mission and ensure full human rights compliance mechanisms are in place.
The human toll of the violence is staggering. More than one million people are now displaced, 40,000 in recent weeks alone, OHCHR stated.
Over 5.5 million people face acute food insecurity and two million have been reduced to emergency hunger levels.
Some 6,000 people are living in famine-like conditions, while 500,000 children are displaced – a quarter suffering stunted growth due to malnutrition.
Half of health facilities in the capital are fully operational, and 31 per cent have shut down due to insecurity, OHCHR ackowledged.
“The impact on children is particularly devastating,” said Mr. Türk. “[This] will impact them for life.”
Mr. Turk welcomed Haiti decision to establish two specialized judicial units to tackle human rights violations and financial crimes but said much more must be done.
“The most crucial first step here is to stop the illicit flow of arms into the country,” he said.
He stressed the need to fully implement the Security Council’s arms embargo, travel bans and asset freezes.
Mr. Türk emphasized that “there is a way out”, but only with political will, international support and urgent action to end the cycle of corruption, impunity and senseless violence.
“I call on each and every one of you, including the media, to put the spotlight on this crisis,” he said.
“The Haitian people cannot be forgotten.”
Comments are closed.