The United Nations says gangs in Haiti continue to terrorize communities, inflicting what a new report describes as “wanton, intentional infliction of incredible pain” on thousands of people.
William O’Neill, the UN’s designated human rights expert for Haiti, presented the findings of a report documenting gang atrocities in Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas. The report, published by the UN’s political office in Haiti (BINUH), covers a period of less than five months ending July 31.
In just two neighborhoods of the capital, more than 613 people were killed and 375 wounded. Over one-third of the victims were not associated with gangs, including 111 women and 77 children. The report records more than 176 women and girls raped by gang members, often as punishment against residents of areas controlled by rival groups. Over 18,000 people have been forced to flee their homes.
The document details specific atrocities. In one case, armed men raped a woman, set her home on fire, and killed her husband and their two-year-old daughter. Another woman was stopped by gang members, accused of being an informant for a rival group, and executed on the spot. Two teenagers were shot dead by a gang leader for allegedly passing information to rivals. A 71-year-old man was fatally shot while walking in search of food.
Seventeen boys, aged 15 to 17, were executed together on suspicion of working for an adversary. Some were taken to a trash site and shot.
On June 13, following a World Cup football match between Haiti and Scotland, about 300 people walked to a neighborhood where a gang attacked them. At least 61 people were killed and 20 injured. The victims included at least seven children, the youngest barely seven years old.
The findings underscore the deepening humanitarian and security crisis in Haiti, where gang violence has escalated beyond territorial disputes into systematic targeting of civilians. UN officials have called for urgent international support to address the collapse of public safety and the protection of human rights.