A new UN-backed report released on Friday reveals that between April and June, armed conflict in Haiti resulted in 1,520 deaths and 609 injuries. These figures are similar to the first quarter of 2025, which recorded 1,617 fatalities and 580 wounded.

Gangs remain the main drivers of violence, controlling about 85% of Port-au-Prince and expanding their reach into the Centre and Artibonite regions. This expansion has displaced more than 240,000 people in these areas, with 45,000 forced from their homes in June alone.

While security forces have managed to slow the advances of gangs in the capital, the overall security environment remains fragile. Some gangs have started imposing basic forms of local governance, such as organising public cleaning initiatives in Mirebalais, although many residents have fled the town.

The report details widespread human rights abuses by gangs, including extrajudicial killings, child exploitation, trafficking, and sexual violence. Gang rape accounts for 85% of documented sexual assault cases, with a particularly brutal incident in mid-May where two women in Cité Soleil were gang-raped, then murdered, and their bodies burned.

The UN also condemns abuses by state security forces and self-defence groups. Security operations were responsible for 64% of casualties during the quarter, with numerous summary executions and drone strikes. Self-defence militias, formed in response to gang violence and state failures, accounted for 12% of deaths and injuries, including a massacre of over 55 civilians in Petit-Rivière in late May.

Haiti’s humanitarian crisis deepens, with over 1.3 million displaced and half the population facing food shortages. With the humanitarian appeal only 8% funded, the UN calls for increased international support and urges the Haitian government to strengthen its fight against gangs while respecting human rights and the proper use of force.

Source: UN