Port-au-Prince, Haiti – Haiti is teetering on the edge of a humanitarian and security catastrophe, with the United Nations warning that the country is nearing a “point of no return” as gang violence spirals out of control. According to a recent UN report, more than 1,600 people were killed between January and March 2025 — a stark indicator of the intensifying brutality gripping the Caribbean nation.
Of the 1,617 confirmed deaths, the UN noted that over 800 were gang members, highlighting the deadly turf wars between rival armed groups vying for control over key areas, particularly in and around the capital, Port-au-Prince. The report also recorded 580 individuals injured in gang-related violence, clashes with self-defense groups, and operations conducted by security forces.
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“Between January and March 2025, despite numerous casualties within their ranks — 936 individuals — gangs intensified their efforts to expand their territorial control in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area and its surroundings,” the UN stated.
Haiti, already the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, is suffering from a near-total breakdown of state authority. Large portions of the country remain under the de facto rule of heavily armed gangs who commit murder, sexual violence, kidnappings, and extortion with impunity. In some neighborhoods, gangs are now the only recognizable authority, offering a brutal alternative to the absent state.
On Monday, the UN Special Representative to Haiti issued a dire warning to the international community, describing the situation as rapidly deteriorating into “total chaos.” The representative called for urgent and coordinated international support to prevent further collapse of law and order.
Despite international intervention efforts, a Kenyan-led multinational police force, which was authorized by the United Nations, has thus far failed to stem the violence. Originally designed to consist of 2,500 officers, the force currently has only around 1,000 police officers from six contributing countries, rendering it severely under-resourced to confront the well-armed criminal networks.
The latest developments underscore the magnitude of Haiti’s crisis — not just in terms of violence, but also humanitarian distress, displacement, and the erosion of civic institutions.
The UN and international observers continue to advocate for increased support, including bolstering the multinational security mission and urgently addressing the socio-economic conditions that allow armed groups to thrive.
