Powerful gangs in Haiti increasingly ruthless and better armed, says UN

Formidable gangs operating within Haiti are becoming increasingly violent and better equipped, despite ongoing arms restrictions. This is according to a recent United Nations report.

An article published by the Jamaican Observer details concerns from UN experts overseeing sanctions against these groups. They expressed alarm over the escalating violence across the impoverished nation, which is currently led by a fragile transitional government lacking both a president and a parliament, with law enforcement severely outgunned.

The report also highlighted the intensifying brutality of these criminal organizations, which have been involved in murders, sexual assaults, kidnappings, and even mass slaughters.

The absence of an effective government response means that gangs continue to operate with impunity, freely conducting attacks and expanding their territorial reach, the report stated.

This increased capacity, says the UN, largely results from their substantial weaponry.

The article further reports that in 2022, the UN Security Council implemented sanctions targeting prominent Haitian gang leaders. These measures were later expanded into a comprehensive weapons embargo, allowing exceptions only for sales to government security forces.

“But the embargo has seen only spotty enforcement and the gangs keep acquiring enough guns and ammunition “to sustain their firepower on multiple fronts,”  the report noted.

Between October 2024 and February 2025, the gangs reportedly increased their stockpile of automatic rifles, boosting their lethal potential and complicating efforts by security forces to curb their influence.

Additionally, the experts mentioned that, besides weapons smuggled from the United States, there have been reports of firearms diverted from police and authorities in the neighboring Dominican Republic, often facilitated by corrupt officials.

Despite the deployment of a multinational force led by Kenya, which is underfunded and poorly equipped, little progress has been made toward restoring order and stability, the UN observed.

Foreseeing a bleak outcome, the UN emphasized that gangs will maintain the upper hand unless there is stronger international intervention and support.

Haiti has long struggled with political turmoil, widespread poverty, corruption, natural calamities, and other challenges.

Violence fueled by gangs has surged since 2024, when then-Prime Minister Ariel Henry resigned after a confrontation with gang members opposed to his leadership.

Currently, Haiti lacks an active parliament and has not conducted a presidential election since 2016. The country’s former president, Jovenel Moise, was assassinated in 2021.