[REVISION HISTORY]

Haiti gang violence and humanitarian crisis

Updated 25 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-09-18 02:14 UTC → 2026-09-18 18:40 UTC · added ~~removed~~

By mid-September 2026, Haiti’s security and humanitarian crises continued to intensify. Amidst preparations for general elections scheduled for December 13, the Haitian Foreign Ministry has urged the United Nations Security Council to renew the mandate of the internationally backed Gang Suppression Force (GSF) before its September 30 expiration. While some personnel are active in areas like Cité Soleil and Port-au-Prince, human rights advocates have expressed concern that the presence has not yet yielded tangible results in curbing violence. The GSF, consisting of up to 5,500 troops, faces a landscape where gangs control approximately 90% of metropolitan areas. New reports indicate a potential escalation in the security crisis following allegations that armed gangs have ordered explosive drones. Legal expert Lacks-Guvens Cadette described the possibility of gangs acquiring such technology as ‘extremely concerning and dangerous.’ In response to rising criminality, interim Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé has utilized private security solutions, including the engagement of Erik Prince through his company, Vectus Global. However, these private operations have been linked to numerous civilian deaths. The crisis has increasingly targeted the nation’s youth. UNICEF reports that the recruitment and use of children by armed groups surged by 200% in 2025, effectively tripling the number of minors involved in a single year. United Nations estimates suggest that children may constitute between 30% and 50% of the ranks within these armed groups. ~~Criminal networks exploit poverty and hunger to force children into roles as lookouts, transporters, or combatants, while gang-controlled territories make attending school a life-threatening endeavor.~~ On September 17, a report by the National Human Rights Defense Network (RNDDH) detailed massacres in the Kenscoff farming community during July and August. Attributed to the Viv Ansanm coalition, the attacks resulted in at least 164 deaths—including 21 elderly individuals and seven children—and over 70 kidnappings.

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