UN Secretary‑General Guterres apologizes for UN failure to curb Haiti gang violence

UN Secretary‑General António Guterres visited Haiti and told displaced Haitians, “I ask for forgiveness,” apologising for the UN’s inability to mobilise the international community against the country’s worsening gang violence.

He highlighted that roughly 1.5 million people have been forced from their homes and that half of Haiti’s population now faces severe food insecurity. During his visit to a former school in Port‑au‑Prince that now shelters about 1,250 people, he heard harrowing testimonies from women and children about crowded conditions, lack of privacy and infestations.

Guterres also inspected the newly created “Force for the Suppression of Gangs,” a UN‑backed security unit, and met Haitian officials, stressing that stronger international solidarity and funding are essential to address the humanitarian crisis.