UN says more than 16,000 people killed in Haiti violence since 2022

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (MNTV) — More than 16,000 people have been killed in armed violence in Haiti since the start of 2022, the UN human rights chief Volker Türk said, warning that “the worst may be yet to come.”

“The human rights situation in Haiti has reached a boiling point,” Türk told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, describing a surge in killings, kidnappings, and sexual violence by armed gangs.

Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas, has long struggled with gang control and political instability.

Türk said the violence is no longer confined to the capital, Port-au-Prince, but is now spreading across the country and threatening to destabilize the wider region.

“More than 16,000 people have been killed and about 7,000 injured in armed violence since January 2022, when we began monitoring gang-related violence,” he said.

The UN Security Council this week approved a resolution to expand the current UN-backed security mission into a full-fledged multinational force of up to 5,500 uniformed personnel, including both police and military troops.

Türk said international support for the mission was “urgent,” warning that without it, Haiti and its neighbors could face further chaos.

He condemned the “spiral of violence” between gangs, civilians, and security forces, noting that since March, Haitian authorities have increasingly used explosive drones in anti-gang operations.

“As of mid-September, drone strikes have killed at least 559 people, including 11 children. Most of these drone strikes are likely unlawful under international human rights law,” he said.

Türk also expressed concern over the rise of vigilante groups, saying spontaneous mobs had killed more than 500 alleged gang members this year.

He said children in Haiti were being trafficked, exploited, and forcibly recruited by gangs.

“We can, and must, turn this situation around for the people of Haiti,” he urged.