Caption: Antonio Guterres
UNITED NATIONS – The people of Haiti are facing a “perfect storm of suffering” and the country remains “shamefully overlooked,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the Security Council on Thursday.
“State authority is crumbling as gang violence engulfs Port-au-Prince and spreads beyond — paralyzing daily life and forcing families to flee,” Guterres said.
“Civilians are under siege with appalling reports of rape and sexual violence. Hospitals and schools are under repeated attack. The rule of law has collapsed,” he said.
But despite this, “Haiti remains shamefully overlooked and woefully underfunded.”
Guterres’ remarks came a day after a group of seven countries including the United States asked the Security Council to strengthen the multinational force tapped to combat gang violence in Haiti.
Over a year after the Multinational Security Support (MSS) Mission deployed, with the initial effort led by Kenya, the situation in Haiti continues to deteriorate, with its capital Port-au-Prince almost entirely under gang control.
“The MSS mission lacks the resources and capacity to fully meet the growing challenge,” the letter said, co-signed by the United States, Canada, El Salvador, Guatemala, Jamaica, Kenya and the Bahamas.
Of the 2,500 police officers that the MMS had hoped to deploy to Haiti, only about 1,000 from six countries have been sent, including more than 700 from Kenya.
During the Thursday Security Council meeting, the acting US envoy to the UN said Washington and Panama City were sharing a draft resolution “to help address the growing violence by establishing a Gang Suppression Force and creating a UN Support Office.”
“The next international force must be resourced to hold territory, secure infrastructure, and complement the Haitian National Police,” Ambassador Dorothy Shea said, adding: “In parallel, a comprehensive approach is required to disrupt gang financing, arms trafficking, and other illicit flows fueling instability.”
Haiti’s political situation has been fraught since President Jovenel Moise was assassinated in 2021, fueling instability in the country.
A presidential transition council — which took over the country in 2024 after Prime Minister Ariel Henry resigned — has said it will hold elections before the end of its mandate in February 2026.
At least 3,141 people have been killed in Haiti during the first half of this year, according to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. (AFP)
