Tue Jan 07 13:19:35 UTC 2025: ## UN Condemns ‘Absolute Horrors’ of Gang Violence in Haiti, Reporting Over 5,600 Deaths in 2024

**Port-au-Prince, Haiti** – The United Nations has condemned the escalating violence in Haiti, reporting over 5,600 deaths and thousands more injured or kidnapped in 2024 due to rampant gang activity. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk described the situation as “absolute horrors,” highlighting widespread human rights abuses and corruption.

Armed gangs control most of the capital, Port-au-Prince, following a surge in violence last year. The UN documented at least 207 deaths in a single December massacre in Cite Soleil, orchestrated by a powerful gang leader. Further, at least 315 lynchings of gang members, sometimes reportedly facilitated by Haitian police, and 281 alleged summary executions by specialized police units were documented. The UN also notes the police themselves are accused of violence against gang suspects.

Impunity for human rights violations and corruption are rampant, according to Turk. Last November, the UN temporarily evacuated staff from Port-au-Prince due to intense clashes, but insists it remains committed to Haiti, adapting its operations to safer locations and remote work.

Turk urged accountability for police officers implicated in abuses, calling for international assistance in reforming the national police force. He stressed the need to restore the rule of law and bolster the Kenyan-led UN security mission with adequate logistical and financial support. Despite the deployment of a 430-strong UN-backed security mission last June, violence continues to escalate.

The UN highlighted the need for full implementation of UN Security Council-mandated sanctions and an arms embargo, stating that weapons flowing into the country fuel the gangs’ violence. While the Haitian government, backed by the US and other Caribbean nations, seeks a full-scale UN peacekeeping operation, Russia and China have opposed the move, advocating for strengthening the Haitian police instead.

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