Criminal Violence in Haiti
Haiti has long endured a great degree of social and political instability, which has culminated in an acute security crisis characterized by failing governance after the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. Violence soared throughout 2023 as gangs consolidated control of more than 80 percent of Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince. In April 2024, Prime Minister Ariel Henry resigned from office, and a transitional presidential council was formed. As law enforcement atrophies and cases of vigilantism increase, the United Nations Security Council authorized a multinational-backed security force led by Kenya to assist the Haitian police in countering gang violence. The mission began after repeated delays on June 25, 2024.
Background
The small Caribbean nation gained independence from France in the early nineteenth century, becoming the world’s first Black-led republic, but it faced many development challenges. Haiti’s weak political institutions have facilitated corruption and impunity, and its vulnerability to natural disasters has exacerbated poverty and inequality, making it the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.
Haiti’s history is marked by multiple coups, dictatorial regimes, and foreign interventions. From 1957 to 1986, Haiti was led by dictator François Duvalier (Papa Doc) and then later his son Jean-Claude Duvalier (Baby Doc). Their twenty-nine-year rule was characterized by widespread human rights abuses, political repression, and corruption. The regime ultimately fell when Jean-Claude Duvalier fled the country amid mass unrest and international pressure calling for his removal. In 1990, Haiti held its first free and fair election, which saw Jean-Bertrand Aristide win in a landslide victory, but he was ousted in a military coup the following year. In 1994, the United States led an intervention to restore Aristide to power and established [PDF] the Haitian National Police force to help maintain public order. In 2004, the United States intervened again, this time pressuring Aristide to resign due to government corruption accusations and popular uprisings. Following Aristide’s 2004 ouster, the United Nations established a thirteen-year peacekeeping mission, the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH). MINUSTAH peacekeepers were sent to help reestablish law and order, build a new national police force, and assist with reconstruction efforts after the devastating 2010 earthquake. However, MINUSTAH was viewed as a controversial mission by the Haitian public; peacekeepers were accused of sexually abusing locals and introducing cholera to the island, a disease that killed nearly ten thousand people.
Haiti’s turbulent record of political leadership is a significant contributor to the country’s ongoing security crisis. President Michel Martelly stepped down from office in 2016 after postponing presidential elections twice and ruling by decree for more than a year. His successor, Jovenel Moïse, was elected that November, but he didn’t assume office until early 2017 after allegations of fraud at the polls extended the election process. When he took office, Haiti was still reeling from the fallout of a Category-4 hurricane that made landfall in October 2016. Like many of his predecessors, Moïse’s tenure was marked by political and social turmoil and a worsening security crisis. Opposition leaders accused Moïse of consolidating power by restricting the judiciary’s authority and establishing an intelligence agency that reported solely to him. As calls for his removal grew, Moïse refused to step down following the end of his term, instead ruling by decree from 2017 to 2021. Under his leadership, Haiti did not hold elections for four years. Gang violence against citizens rose during Moïse’s tenure, and the United Nations condemned violations of human rights, basic freedoms, and attacks on the press. Furthermore, U.S. officials accused many in Moïse’s administration of collaborating with gangs to suppress political opposition and anti-government protests, therefore contributing to the violence.
On July 7, 2021, a group of armed men assassinated Moïse in his home. As of May 2023, seven people have been charged, including three Haitian Americans and one Colombian, though the joint U.S.-Haiti investigation is ongoing. In Haiti, more than a dozen people have been arrested in connection with the assassination. A New York Times investigation found that Prime Minister and Acting President Ariel Henry may also have been involved in Moïse’s killing. Since the assassination and back-to-back natural disasters in 2021—consisting of a 7.2-magnitude earthquake and a tropical storm—Haiti has experienced worsening political instability, criminal violence, and a growing humanitarian crisis. Powerful gangs have become the de facto authority in many parts of the country, particularly in the capital, Port-au-Prince, and the government continues its efforts to regain control.
Gangs are a major source of instability and violence within Haiti, where they control many aspects of the country’s political and economic landscape. In October 2021, a coalition of nine prominent gangs in Port-au-Prince, known as the G9, and its leader, former police officer Jimmy Chérizier (known as Barbecue), blockaded Haiti’s largest fuel terminal, which supplies 70 percent of the country’s gas. The G9 demanded Prime Minister Henry’s resignation as a condition for removing the blockade; however, they ultimately relented the following month to allow the distribution of critical fuel supplies to resume. An estimated two hundred gangs operate in Haiti, ninety-five of which are in or near Port-au-Prince. Competition has led the gangs to coalesce into seven major coalitions, which has led to an escalation in violent crimes and kidnappings.
After the Haitian government announced the end of fuel subsidies in September 2022, more than doubling the price of gas, protests erupted across Haiti. In response, G9 coalition-affiliated gangs again blockaded the Varreux terminal. The fuel blockade exacerbated the ongoing humanitarian crisis, compounding the island’s food insecurity. The United Nations has assessed that food insecurity affects more than four million people, while nineteen thousand are experiencing famine. The Haitian National Police regained control of the fuel terminal in November 2022 after then-politician Dr. Harrison Ernest spent two weeks negotiating with gang leader Chérizier despite the Haitian government’s refusal to negotiate with gangs.
On October 2, 2022, two cases of cholera were confirmed in Haiti after over three years of no reported cases. Haiti has struggled to cope with the outbreak, as the G9’s blockade of the country’s main ports and fuel terminals has made it difficult for foreign aid to reach those in need. In October 2022, the UN Children’s Fund reported that it could only secure a third of the fuel supplies necessary to serve cholera treatment centers and partner hospitals. By January 2023, the disease had spread to over twenty thousand people. In April 2023, the United Nations and its partners announced a $720 million Humanitarian Response Plan to reach more than three million Haitians who require humanitarian assistance.
Meanwhile, Haiti’s government and police force are understaffed and overwhelmed, enabling gangs to operate with relative impunity. Only nine thousand active-duty officers serve Haiti’s population of more than eleven million, down from about fifteen thousand officers in 2020. Although Haiti has 13,200 personnel available for active duties, the police suffer from desertions, temporary suspensions due to investigations, and gang violence, which claimed the lives of at least twenty-two officers in 2023. Additionally, most of Haiti’s elected positions remain vacant, with the last parliamentary election held in 2019 and the most recent presidential election in 2016. The government has yet to reschedule a presidential election after it was postponed several times.
Beyond political instability, Haiti’s vulnerability to natural disasters has exacerbated insecurity within the country. Haiti is located in the path of Atlantic hurricanes and sits on the fault line between the North American and Caribbean plates. The country’s topography also makes it prone to flooding, cyclones, droughts, and landslides. Natural disaster vulnerability, along with several aggravating factors, including inadequate infrastructure and poor city planning, has caused devastation across the country. The 2010 earthquake was Haiti’s most severe and destructive natural disaster; roughly 250,000 people were killed and 300,000 injured.
As Haitians flee the difficult conditions and violence in their home country, the United States and neighboring countries have experienced an influx of migrants. At the end of 2022, the Joe Biden administration loosened its immigration policies to afford Haitians currently residing in the United States new safeguards and extended protected status, and a massive outflow of Haitians from Haiti has persisted. Between January and September 2022, more than twenty-one thousand Haitians were repatriated by flight or boat from neighboring countries, with 69 percent coming from the United States due to Title 42 expulsions. Title 42, a policy informed by COVID-19 that allowed border agents to expel migrants from the United States on public health grounds, expired on May 11, 2023. However, despite Title 42’s expiration, the administration has remained intent on denying asylum to those who cross the U.S.-Mexico border illegally.
Recent Developments
As the ill-equipped Haitian National Police force further deteriorates due to personnel loss and corruption, some Haitian citizens have taken matters into their own hands. On April 24, 2023, a group overpowered police and burned alive the fourteen suspected gang members in their custody. The killings marked the start of a campaign of vigilante justice against suspected gang members by self-defense groups known as the “Bwa Kale” movement. In its first three months of operation, Bwa Kale vigilantes killed at least 264 suspected gang members. While the movement has received widespread support from frustrated Haitians, some analysts fear that the vigilantes could come to present as much of a threat to civilians as the gangs. Nonetheless, the movement has highlighted the powerlessness of Haiti’s state institutions. At a June 8, 2023, meeting with Caribbean leaders, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris reaffirmed U.S. support for the deployment of a multinational force to stabilize Haiti’s fracturing security landscape and announced $50 million in humanitarian aid.
With Haiti’s police force unable to quell spiraling violence, the UN Security Council on October 2 authorized a yearlong Kenya-led multinational mission to protect vital infrastructure, train Haitian police, and assist in “targeted operations.” Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry had pushed for the authorization. However, some fear Kenyan forces may commit abuses in Haiti, given allegations against them of killing and torturing Kenyan civilians.
After repeated delays, an initial deployment of 400 troops arrived in Haiti on June 25. The forces are headquartered at a U.S.-built base and will work with local Haitian officials to retake critical sites that are currently controlled by gangs, such as nearby airports and seaports. Prime Minister Garry Conille said that the troops will deploy in the coming days, but the details of the mission’s operations and rules of engagement are unclear. Police from the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Benin, Chad, and Jamaica will also join the mission for a total of 2,500 officers. The deployment was authorized to last for one year. President Biden said that the mission would provide “much-needed relief” to the country and its civilians; the United States has pledged more than $300 million for the mission and another $60 million in equipment.
Gang Rift Triggers Deadly Clashes in Port-au-Prince
A splinter group from the Viv Ansanm gang launched an attack in Bel-Air, killing at least forty-nine people, including civilians and ten child recruits, and executing a local gang boss; the fighting has destabilized Viv Ansanm’s internal hierarchy and raised fears of accelerated gang warfare (AP).
Kenyan Police Surge in Haiti
Over 200 officers deployed to Port-au-Prince, bringing the multinational security mission to roughly 980 personnel and marking its first expansion since the UN authorized its conversion into a larger Gang Suppression Force in September; fundraising continues to lag, however, with the UN security fund holding $113 million of the $800 million annual requirement (AFP).
New National Security Strategy Prioritizes Western Hemisphere
Trump’s new strategy devotes the bulk of its attention to the Western Hemisphere, where it aims to reduce migration, fight crime, and preserve access to critical supply chains; it reasserts the 19th-century Monroe Doctrine, rejecting external influence in the region (White House). Separately, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio appealed for additional international aid to support efforts to stabilize Haiti, as he praised Kenya’s security role during a meeting with Kenyan President William Ruto in Washington (AP).
Haiti’s Planned National Election
The transitional presidential council approved a long-delayed electoral law, enabling publication of an official timetable for the country’s first general election since 2016; authorities aim to begin voting in 2026 despite ongoing gang violence and government instability (AP).
Gang Assaults in Artibonite
The attacks occurred in Haiti’s Artibonite region over the weekend, with gangs torching homes and killing several civilians as large numbers of residents fled toward the coast; the attack prompted emergency police measures and allowed the gangs to increase their control over central Haiti, as violence continues surging across the country (AP). Human rights organizations later condemned national authorities for failing to mount a sufficient response to the attacks, highlighting incidents in Pont-Sondé that they say killed twenty-five people and injured dozens of others (Le Nouvelliste).
End to TPS for Haitians
The Trump administration announced that Temporary Protected Status for roughly 350,000 Haitians will expire in early February, reversing the Biden-era extension even as violence and displacement escalate in Haiti; the announcement comes despite court orders earlier this year that previously blocked similar attempts to end the program (Federal Register; Reuters).
U.S. Visa Ban on Haitian Official
Washington placed restrictions on Fritz Alphonse Jean, a member of the Transitional Presidential Council, accusing him of aiding criminal groups and hindering efforts to curb gang violence; Jean denied the allegations (AP).
U.S. Reinforcements at Port-au-Prince Embassy
Following clashes with armed gang members last week, the U.S. military deployed a new contingent of U.S. Marines to its embassy in Haiti, affirming that it remains committed to supporting anti-gang operations throughout the country (State Department).
U.S. Forces Clash With Gang Members
A spokesperson for the U.S. Marine Corps said the exchange of fire occurred when gang members attacked Marines protecting the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince; no U.S. forces were injured (AP).
Deadly Clashes in Port-au-Prince
Security forces killed seven gang members during an operation in the Croix des Bouquets neighborhood, which is controlled by the Viv Ansanm gang; armed assailants downed and tried to capture a police helicopter, although officers destroyed it before the assailants could do so (AP).
Haitian Parties Announce Election Deal
More than seventy political parties and groups signed a pact calling for the Presidential Transitional Council to end its mandate in February 2026 and be replaced by a one-year transition led by a dual executive; the agreement sets a deadline for nationwide polls to be held by late 2026 (Le Nouvelliste).
Haiti Pushes Election Efforts
Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé met with electoral authorities, security agencies, and foreign partners to advance preparations for the long-delayed national elections; his office said Fils-Aimé would soon sign an electoral decree to facilitate election planning (Le Nouvelliste). Meanwhile, a UN report recorded over 1,247 deaths and more than 700 injuries in Haiti between July and September, attributing most deaths to operations by Haitian security forces, alongside some gang and vigilante violence (UN).
U.S. Aid for Haiti
The United States announced an additional $2.5 million aid package to support Haitian recovery following Hurricane Melissa, bringing total U.S. aid for the country to $11 million since the hurricane; Washington has also provided support to other impacted Caribbean states (U.S. State Department).
Armed Attacks in Port-au-Prince
Gunfire was reported in at least three localities as armed gangs attempted to seize neighborhoods, though security forces repelled the attack; in a separate incident, gunmen killed two individuals in the Fermathe 56 locality (Le Nouvelliste).
Hurricane Melissa Death Toll Climbs
Deaths in Haiti resulting from Hurricane Melissa have risen to forty-three, while thirteen others remain missing, as flooding and landslides continued across dozens of southern towns; nearby Jamaica has also reported thirty-two fatalities and dozens of cut-off communities (AP). Haiti declared a state of emergency until February 3, 2026, covering the six departments hit hardest by the hurricane (Le Nouvelliste).
New UN Force Conducts Security Operations
The UN-backed Gang Repression Force said several gunmen were killed Sunday during joint operations with police in Simon Pelé; the operations follow additional actions in Artibonite last week that pushed back Gran Grif fighters (Le Nouvelliste).
White House Pushes Continued Trade With Haiti
The Trump administration has asked Congress to extend the HOPE/HELP trade program, as Haitian industry leaders suggest that further delays could trigger irreversible economic damage; U.S. diplomats likewise frame renewal as key to economic stability (Le Nouvelliste).
Hurricane Melissa Kills Twenty-Five in Haiti
Extreme winds and flooding caused twenty-five deaths, along with four in neighboring Jamaica, while also leaving tens of thousands without power and destroying more than a thousand homes, worsening Haiti’s humanitarian crisis (Reuters).
Hurricane Melissa Approaches Haiti
The UN World Food Program has positioned emergency food supplies in Haiti ahead of the hurricane, but following budget cuts, it has only around 15 percent of what it typically holds for disaster response in the country (NYT).
Tropical Storm in Haiti
At least three people died and five were injured as Tropical Storm Melissa brought severe rain and flooding to Haiti, with the National Hurricane Center warning of “life-threatening” flash floods and landslides; the storm, which could escalate into a Category 4 hurricane, threatens to further exacerbate dire humanitarian conditions across the country (NBC).
Surge in Kidnappings in Haiti
The Episcopal Commission for Justice and Peace (CE-JILAP) warned the increase was most prevalent in Delmas and Pétion-Ville municipalities of Port-au-Prince, following months of relative calm; human rights advocates say the resurgence reflects broader gang mobilization tied to upcoming elections and the February 7 political transition (Nouvelliste).
Haitian Elections
UN officials asked interim authorities in Haiti to set a general election date before the self-imposed February 2026 deadline, citing persistent gang violence and political paralysis; over two thousand people were killed between June and August as gangs tightened control of Port-au-Prince, per the UN (AP).
UK Sanctions Two Haitians
The sanctions include asset freezes and travel bans targeting gang leader Kempes Sanon and former presidential security chief Dimitri Herard, both of whom were sanctioned by the United States and United Nations days earlier under accusations of orchestrating attacks and trafficking arms to sustain Haiti’s gang violence (Reuters).
Sanctions on Haitian Figures
The United States and UN sanctioned former presidential security head Dimitri Herard and gang leader Kempes Sanon for aiding the Viv Ansanm coalition, which Washington designated a foreign terrorist organization earlier this year; the UN resolution also ordered an arms embargo on Haiti (AP).
Doctors Without Borders Shutters Haiti Site
Doctors Without Borders permanently closed its emergency center in Turgeau, Port-au-Prince, citing escalating gang violence that has made operations too dangerous; over 60 percent of health facilities in the city are now non-functional (AP).
Gunfire Interrupts Haitian Leadership Meeting
The gunfire broke out in Port-au-Prince as Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé and the transitional presidential council held a rare meeting at the National Palace that aimed to symbolize the reclamation of gang-held territory; the violence underscored the continued fragility of state authority as a new UN-backed force is being organized to stabilize Haiti (AP).
UN Condemns Haiti’s Use of Drones
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk told the Human Rights Council that Haiti’s police have used “unnecessary and disproportionate” lethal force, with government drone strikes killing at least 559 people this year and likely violating international law; he also reported that police have summarily executed 174 alleged gang members (Reuters).
UN Vote on Haiti
The UN Security Council voted to expand an international security mission in Haiti from roughly one thousand personnel to more than five thousand; Haiti’s transitional government requested the expansion, which the United States and Panama spearheaded at the Security Council (Guardian). The multinational mission, in operation since June 2024, is authorized by a UN resolution but not administered by the UN Security Council (UNSC).
United States Moves to Deport Haitian Businessman
U.S. immigration authorities arrested Haitian executive Dimitri Vorbe on charges of supporting armed gangs, following similar action against businessman Reginald Boulos; the State Department said both men’s presence in the United States posed “serious adverse foreign policy consequences,” although families deny any links to gang activity (Reuters).
Haitian Leader Calls for International Support
Laurent Saint-Cyr, head of Haiti’s transitional presidential council, told the UN General Assembly that the country faces a “war” between heavily armed gangs and civilians; he asked for increased global support and backed a joint U.S.-Panama plan for a 5,550-strong UN force to replace the current Kenyan-led mission, which is underfunded (AP).
U.S. Warns Mission Funds to Haiti May End if UN Plan Fails
U.S. Charge d’Affaires Henry Wooster suggested U.S. funding for the UN-backed security force may end in December if the Security Council rejects Washington’s plan to expand the force and rename it the Gang Suppression Force; the current Kenya-led mission lacks funds and equipment, with the United States having given around $15 million thus far (Reuters).
Drone Strike in Haiti Kills Thirteen
Explosive drones targeting a suspected gang leader killed at least thirteen people, including eight children, in Cité Soleil, Port-au-Prince; Haiti’s human rights network accused police of launching the attack during a gang leader’s birthday event, though officials have not commented (NYT). The strike killed suspected gang members, but activists warned the civilian deaths could undermine trust in institutions (AP).