Haiti gang violence toll rises to 78 as UN warns of deepening security crisis
The United Nations Office in Haiti (BINUH) has confirmed at least 78 deaths and 66 injuries in clashes between rival gangs since Saturday, prompting the suspension of medical operations and the deployment of a new multinational security force.
Clashes between rival armed groups in the suburbs of Port-au-Prince have resulted in at least 78 fatalities and 66 injuries since Saturday, according to a provisional toll released by the United Nations Office in Haiti (BINUH) on Thursday. The violence, concentrated in the communes of Cité Soleil and Croix-des-Bouquets, has claimed the lives of 10 civilians, including five men, four women, and one young girl.
The humanitarian impact has been severe, with approximately 5,300 people displaced by the current wave of violence. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs noted that several families remain trapped in the affected neighbourhoods, citing reports from local humanitarian organisations. This displacement follows a pattern of recurring instability, with the same two communes witnessing outbreaks of violence in March and April that displaced nearly 8,000 people.
Healthcare infrastructure has been significantly disrupted by the fighting. A hospital and a facility operated by Doctors Without Borders (MSF) were forced to suspend operations and evacuate staff. Prior to the evacuation, MSF reported treating 40 gunshot victims at the hospital in less than 12 hours, underscoring the intensity of the combat.
The current escalation is part of a broader deterioration in security across Haiti, the Caribbean’s poorest country, which has faced spiralling gang violence and worsening insecurity over the past two years. BINUH data indicates that between 5 March and 11 May, at least 305 people were killed and 277 wounded in Cité Soleil and Croix-des-Bouquets. Of those fatalities, 63 were residents, including 17 women and 13 children, while the remainder were identified as gang members.
In response to the escalating crisis, a new multinational anti-gang force is being deployed to Haiti to replace the under-equipped and underfunded Multinational Mission to Support the Haitian Police. While the force announced the appointment of Mongolian General Erdenebat Batsuuri as its new commander, only a contingent of 400 Chadian soldiers has arrived in Port-au-Prince so far.
