Gang violence and political breakdown quicken Haiti's collapse

By John Fernando Muñoz | 2026-06-17

People continue fleeing with whatever they can carry on their shoulders.

On the outskirts of Port-au-Prince, mattresses tied to motorcycles, large garbage bags stuffed with clothes, and children still playing in streets controlled by armed men have become common scenes.

The displacement of people in the Haitian capital is no longer exceptional. Families leaving out of fear for their safety have become part of daily life.

What is new about this latest phase of the crisis is that it is no longer limited to territorial fights between gangs in isolated neighborhoods of the city. Armed groups now control people's movement, businesses, access to food, and even who can or cannot go to school or visit a hospital.

Spreading chaos

Meanwhile, a state weakened by years of political paralysis appears increasingly incapable of regaining control.

According to a May 8 report by the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), at least 1,642 people were killed and 745 injured during the first three months of 2026.

The report states that the violence continues to spread beyond Port-au-Prince into regions such as Artibonite and Centre, raising fears that the collapse seen in the capital is extending across the country.

"Despite security advances in certain areas of downtown Port-au-Prince, insecurity is daily and unbearable for a large number of Haitians, and violence continues to spread beyond the capital, particularly in Artibonite and the Centre", said Carlos Ruiz Massieu, the UN secretary general's special representative in Haiti.

The figures included in that May 8 press release only partially reflect the scale of the collapse. Other UN reports show that more than 1.5 million people have been displaced by gang-related violence, while humanitarian organizations estimate that more than six million people, including 3.3 million children, urgently need assistance.

The UN also estimates that more than 8,100 people were killed during 2025, a 20 percent increase compared to 2024. The capital's airport remains closed to international commercial flights following armed attacks against aircraft in November 2024.

Human Rights Watch, in its report on events in 2025, documented killings, kidnappings, sexual violence, and the recruitment of children by armed groups. Girls and young women are among the most vulnerable in areas controlled by those groups, which use violence as a method of terrorizing communities.

"Children in Haiti are subjected to some of the world's highest rates of rape and sexual abuse, and of grave violations more broadly. Haiti is top five globally in those categories. Most children affected by grave violations were girls," according to HRW.

Gang control

The gangs have evolved beyond criminal organizations operating on the margins of the city and have expanded across large parts of Port-au-Prince, controlling roads, extorting businesses, imposing curfews, and deciding who enters or leaves entire neighborhoods.

The UN estimates that armed groups already control at least 80 percent of the capital and continue expanding their influence both inside and outside the city.

Only a handful of organized criminal groups dominate Haiti's gang landscape. Among them, the most prominent is Viv Ansanm, a united front made up of the country's largest gangs, including a long-standing alliance between G9 and some of its former rivals.

Another powerful armed group is Gran Grif, accused of carrying out deadly attacks in the Artibonite region. Smaller but equally dangerous criminal groups also operate mainly in Port-au-Prince.

In their struggle for territorial control, all of these groups rely on violence against civilians to keep communities terrified and maintain control over entire neighborhoods.

For local residents, the collapse of authority in Haiti is measured less in political terms and more in ordinary things: whether it is possible to walk to work without becoming a victim of gangs, whether fuel arrived in the neighborhood that week, whether schools will open next week, whether they will be able to visit a hospital, or whether they will sleep through the night without being awakened by gunfire at midnight.

The international response to Haiti's collapse has itself become another source of uncertainty.

The multinational force deployed in Haiti, known as the Gang Suppression Force (GSF) and led by Kenya, was initially presented as a turning point in the fight against gangs.

However, funding shortages, limited personnel, and delays have prevented the force from becoming the decisive breakthrough many had hoped for. In September 2025, the UN approved the creation of a more robust force to support Haitian authorities in regaining control of the city and protecting the country's critical infrastructure.

The expansion of that mission led to operations against gangs that resulted in the deaths of at least 1,300 members of those armed groups between December 2025 and February 2026, according to a report presented by UN officials to the Security Council in April.

The increase in anti-gang operations has also created uncertainty among civilians and, according to HRW, drone strikes and security operations have caused the deaths of some civilians in densely populated neighborhoods where criminal groups operate.

Political limbo

Analysts and security experts have pointed out that the deeper problem is that Haiti's chaos is not limited solely to gangs. The country has remained trapped in political limbo for several years following the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021 by a group of foreign mercenaries.

Since then, elections have repeatedly been postponed and are currently expected to take place on August 30.

During this prolonged transition period, local authorities backed by international actors have struggled to legitimize their hold on power, while different political factions continue accusing one another of corruption.

The vacuum left by the absence of a democratically elected government and the lack of legitimacy has allowed gangs to expand into spaces once controlled by the state.

"Credible and widely accepted elections will only be possible by combining improved security conditions, inclusive participation, and strong institutional backing", Ruiz Massieu said.

However, organizing credible elections free from coercion while gangs dominate more than 70 percent of the capital and other parts of the country sounds increasingly contradictory.

Frustration within the international community over Haiti has also become visible in the fragmented response to the collapse engulfing the Caribbean nation.

The United States, Canada, Caribbean governments, and the United Nations continue supporting security assistance for Port-au-Prince and have warned that Haiti's collapse threatens regional stability.