UN: Gangs Now Control 90% of Haiti’s Capital, Triggering Record Displacement and Security Collapse

According to recent United Nations reports and AP coverage, armed gangs now exercise near-total control over 90% of Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital. This dramatic dominance has crippled governance, disrupted essential services, and sparked one of the country’s deepest humanitarian emergencies in decades

Extent of the Crisis

• 90% of Port-au-Prince is under gang control, giving criminal networks control over major trade arteries and many neighborhoods
• Gangs are establishing parallel governance, stepping in to provide rudimentary services amid state absence
• Armed groups—including the notorious G9 coalition and smaller factions—have vastly outgunned the Haitian police, often seizing weapons from police stockpiles and illicit international flows

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Humanitarian Fallout

• More than 1.3 million people have been internally displaced in the past six months—a historic high for Haiti
• Makeshift displacement camps and shelters are overcrowded, often lacking adequate food, water, sanitation, or healthcare .
• Violence—including mass killings, sexual assaults, and even alleged organ trafficking—is on the rise in gang-held zones .

Security Response: Multinational Support Mission

• A Kenya-led UN-backed Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission, authorized in October 2023, remains under-resourced: only ~1,000 officers out of a planned 2,500 have deployed
• The mission has shown limited operational success, with security progress largely isolated and unable to solidify gains .
• Despite proposals from UN Secretary-General Guterres—including drones and logistical support—crucial aid remains stalled in the Security Council

Risk of State Collapse

UN officials have warned: without strengthened international efforts, state presence in Haiti could collapse entirely, especially in Port-au-Prince The ongoing analysis reveals:

• Gangs filling administrative and security voids
• Police force weakened by corruption, attrition, and inadequate numbers
• Brutality escalating—including rapes, kidnappings, and extrajudicial killings

What’s Next

1. Strengthen MSS mission: Mobilize additional international resources, equipment, and specialized units.
2. Bolster Haitian institutions: Expand and support national police and judicial mechanisms.
3. Intensify humanitarian aid: Direct relief toward displaced populations with health, sanitation, and protection services.
4. Promote political transition: Reinvigorate the timeline toward elections in February 2026 to restore governance legitimacy.

Bottom Line

Haiti teeters on the brink of state collapse as gangs dominate Port-au-Prince and large swathes of the country. Without decisive international action in security, governance, and humanitarian support, the capital may slip irreversibly into criminal rule.

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