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7h ago

UN Rights Report Says Haiti Anti-Gang Operations Drove Most of 5,500 Deaths

The findings point to a thinly staffed mission with no clear path for redress.

Haitian security forces partrol the Prime Minister's office and the headquarters of the Transitional Presidential Council (CPT), as the mandate of the transitional governing council, formed to curb gang violence and pave the way for long-delayed election, is set to end on February 7 with no succession plan in place, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, February 6, 2026. REUTERS/Egeder Pq Fildor/File Photo
The UN Security Council last year authorised a new international Gang Suppression Force tasked with neutralising the gangs in Haiti
Haiti still faces alarming levels of gang violence, says the United Nations

Overview

  • The UN rights office, which released its report Tuesday, verified at least 5,519 people killed and 2,608 injured from March 2025 to mid-January, with 3,497 deaths tied to security operations.
  • The report says a private contractor, identified by Reuters as Vectus Global, used drones and helicopter gunfire, and some strikes may amount to targeted killings, with no judicial probes opened.
  • Gangs now control territory where roughly one in four Haitians live after pushing beyond Port-au-Prince and fortifying key sea and road corridors, and they rely on firearms illegally trafficked from neighboring countries.
  • Monitors documented 1,578 rape victims, including 165 children, and counted 51 children killed and 38 injured during security operations.
  • The UN-backed Gang Suppression Force remained understrength with 981 troops by end-2025 against a 2,500 goal, and an expanded Security Council mandate still awaits new deployments.