UN Secretary-General António Guterres surveyed the devastation in Haiti’s capital on Tuesday, where surging gang violence has created a record displacement crisis.
New UN statistics indicate 2,300 people have been killed this year and 1.5 million are now homeless. The crisis deepened last weekend when violence in the Cité Soleil slum left over 30 people dead, injured, or missing.
“Gang violence is paralyzing Haiti, its economy, education system & aid delivery. But the situation can be turned around,” Guterres noted.
Guterres toured areas formerly held by the Viv Ansanm federation. The group, designated a foreign terrorist organization by the US, controls an estimated 70% of Port-au-Prince. Graffiti on a bullet-ridden wall signaled a shift in local sentiment: “Down with Viv Ansanm, long live the police.”
His first official stop was the headquarters of a new gang-suppression force. It replaces a Kenyan-led mission and includes troops from Jamaica, Chad, El Salvador, and Guatemala. The force is expected to begin operations within weeks alongside Haiti’s National Police.
The Secretary-General met with Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, who is under pressure to hold national elections. Haiti has been without a president since the assassination of Jovenel Moïse in July 2021. Fils-Aimé stated that security restoration is the priority to "get back to republican rule."
During a visit to a former school turned shelter, Guterres heard from residents who fled gang arson attacks. More than 1,200 people sleep side by side in the facility, receiving only one guaranteed meal a day. Women described a severe lack of privacy, while displaced resident Clifford Lala refused to return home, saying, “Solino is not ready.”
Human Rights Watch urged Guterres to push for a "full-fledged UN mission," noting that security measures alone cannot address the root of the humanitarian catastrophe.