Haiti’s gang crisis kills more than 1,400 in three months, UN reports

At least 1,408 people were killed and 656 others were injured in Haiti between April and June 2026, the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) said in a report released Aug. 25, as the country’s gang crisis continued to inflict a heavy toll on civilians.

Carlos Ruiz Massieu, the U.N. Secretary-General’s special representative in Haiti and head of BINUH, said the figures show that “the population continues to bear an unacceptable toll from violence.” He said protecting civilians, particularly children, women and others facing heightened risks, must remain “at the heart of all efforts to restore security.”

The report found that violence hit the capital unevenly during the quarter. Security operations helped limit gang activity in some Port-au-Prince neighborhoods, including Delmas and Tabarre, while other areas saw a surge tied to clashes between rival gangs fighting for territory, notably in Cité Soleil and the Plaine du Cul-de-Sac.

Those clashes, fueled by competition for territorial control and illicit revenue, left 463 people dead and 256 injured and produced at least 176 rape victims between April and June, a level of violence BINUH said had not been documented in those areas of the capital since at least early 2024. The fighting also displaced more than 18,000 people and forced the suspension of health care and education services in affected neighborhoods.

Gang attacks accounted for 55% of everyone killed or injured during the quarter, according to the report. Kidnappings also rose, with at least 81 people abducted nationwide, up from 57 in the first quarter. BINUH documented at least 796 victims of gang-related rape, 772 women and 23 girls, with 87% subjected to gang rape. The report described victims being subjected to severe beatings, rape in front of family members and the burning of their homes as gangs sought to punish and displace people living in rival-controlled areas.

Kenscoff massacre draws UN condemnation

The BINUH report’s release came two days after one of the deadliest gang attacks documented in Haiti this year, in Kenscoff. The assault, which unfolded overnight on Aug. 23, killed at least 47 people, including 22 who were executed inside a church where they had sought refuge, according to the United Nations.

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres condemned what he called an alarming deterioration of Haiti’s security situation following the massacre, in a statement relayed by his spokesman, Stéphane Dujarric. “The relentless gang attacks on communities and the loss of life reinforce the urgency of intensifying Haitian and international security efforts,” Guterres said, according to the statement.