UN Report: Haiti's Gang Violence Crisis

0:00It's March 24th. Welcome to Global News Today, powered by AI and Connected Worldwide. A new United Nations report reveals that one in four Haitians now lives in areas controlled by criminal gangs, even as police crack down harder. From January 2025 to March 2026, at least 5,519 people were killed and 2006, 108 injured amid the violence. Police casualties, over 60 percent, came from anti-gang security operations, including drone strikes by the government and private firm Vectis, Global. Gains caused 27 percent of the deaths and injuries, while self-defense groups, police and local authorities accounted for the rest. Civilians paid a heavy price, with 51 children killed and 38 injured by stray bullets and explosives in their homes or on streets. The report also documented 1,578 rate victims, including 165 children, often in gang attacks or kidnappings.

1:01No investigations into these operations have started, leaving families without justice. About 90 percent of gang killings involve firearms smuggled from nearby countries. The UN-backed security force has just 981 troops, far short of its 2,500 goal, despite a recent expansion vote, and no new arrivals yet. Gangs keep using killings, kidnappings, and sexual violence to dominate, while operations risk becoming unlawful, targeted killings instead of arrests. Officials urge better safeguards for civilians, especially kids, and real accountability to turn the tide.