ISTANBUL

Gang violence in Haiti continues to rise, with the UN Human Rights Office reporting an increase of over 1,000 people killed in 2024 compared to the preceding year, as well as gangs controlling more than 80% of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and other areas of the country.

At least 5,601 people were killed, 2,212 injured, and 1,494 kidnapped in Haiti last year in gang violence, an increase of over 1,000 compared to the total fatalities in 2023, the UN Human Rights Office said in a statement on Tuesday.

"These figures alone cannot capture the absolute horrors being perpetrated in Haiti, but they show the unremitting violence to which people are being subjected," stated UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk.

Haiti has been hit by violence from gangs that control more than 80% of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and other areas of the nation.

In December 2024, the Wharf Jeremie gang killed at least 207 people in Cite Soleil, Port-au-Prince, one of the deadliest attacks that year. Most victims were elderly, accused of using voodoo to harm the gang leader’s son. The gang burned, cut up, or threw the bodies into the sea, according to the UN.

Since 2022, the Wharf Jeremie gang has been battling rivals for control of roads to the capital's main port and container terminal.

“Additional efforts from the authorities, with the support of the international community, are needed to address these root causes," Turk added.

The UN-approved Multinational Security Support Mission, led by Kenyan police, requires sufficient resources to effectively combat gang violence, he said, emphasizing that "restoring the rule of law must be a top priority."

He added that the National Haitian Police, with international support, should strengthen oversight to hold officers accountable for reported human rights violations.

The high commissioner reiterated the need to fully enforce the UN's sanctions and arms embargo to prevent weapons and ammunition from entering the country.

Turk noted that weapons smuggled into Haiti frequently end up with criminal gangs, resulting in "thousands killed, hundreds of thousands displaced, essential infrastructure and services, such as schools and hospitals, disrupted and destroyed."

He added that the severe insecurity and ongoing human rights crisis in the country make safe, dignified, and sustainable returns for Haitians impossible, yet deportations are still taking place.

“I reiterate my call to all States not to forcibly return anyone to Haiti,” the UN rights chief said.

Struggling for years with fundamental issues such as political, economic, and security crises, Haiti, with a population exceeding 11 million, faces the threat of famine.