The United Nations reported that over 5,600 people were killed in Haiti last year, as an international mission led by Kenya faces challenges in curbing escalating gang violence. This marks a more than 20% rise in killings compared to 2023, according to the UN Human Rights Office. Additionally, over 2,200 people were injured and nearly 1,500 were kidnapped.
Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, highlighted the severity of the violence in a statement, emphasizing that the reported figures fail to fully convey the horrors endured by Haitians.
The victims include two journalists and a police officer who were killed on Christmas Eve during the reopening of Haiti’s largest public hospital, previously shut down by gangs. Another major incident saw over 200 people, mostly elderly, killed in a gang-dominated slum in early December, in what the UN describes as one of Port-au-Prince’s deadliest massacres, fueled by a gang leader’s revenge for his son’s death following Vodou rituals.
The report also mentions 315 suspected gang members lynched and more than 280 individuals allegedly killed by police in summary executions.
Türk underscored the persistent impunity for human rights abuses and corruption in Haiti, calling for increased support for the UN-backed mission initiated in June. The mission, currently led by 400 Kenyan police officers, recently welcomed 150 military police from Central America. Despite pledges from countries like Barbados, Bangladesh, and Chad, the mission still falls short of its 2,500-officer target.
Adding to Haiti’s instability, Sunrise Airways temporarily halted flights to and from Port-au-Prince, leaving the city without commercial air service for the third time this year. This follows a November incident where gang gunfire hit three planes, including a Spirit Airlines flight.
Gang violence has displaced over 700,000 people, forcing many into overcrowded, unsanitary shelters. In light of the ongoing crisis, Türk urged countries to stop deporting Haitians, stressing that current conditions do not support safe and dignified returns. Despite this, under the Biden administration, about 27,800 Haitians were deported from the U.S., while the Dominican Republic deported over a quarter million last year as part of its crackdown on migrants.
