The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, warned on Friday that Haiti's security and humanitarian situation has reached a critical point, as armed gangs expand their control, coordinate attacks, and escalate violence against civilians.

Presenting his annual report to the UN Human Rights Council, Turk described a deteriorating crisis in which gangs in the capital, Port-au-Prince, and its outskirts have seized key territory and infrastructure.

"The human rights situation in Haiti has reached yet another crisis point," Turk said, adding that violence and insecurity had "dramatically worsened."

Rising threat to civilians

The report revealed that throughout 2024, rival gang clashes declined as criminal groups became more organized. Instead, they turned their violence against the civilian population, using brutal tactics to instill fear.

"Gangs are killing ordinary people, brutally punishing those who defy their rules or are suspected of collaborating with the police or self-defense groups," Turk stated.

Sexual violence has also become a tool of dominance, with reports of victims being executed after being raped. Meanwhile, self-defense groups have resorted to lynchings of gang members. 

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Gangs now control an estimated 80% of Port-au-Prince, frequently targeting civilians despite the presence of a Kenya-led multinational security mission deployed last year.  

Illicit weapons fueling the fire

From July 1, 2023, to February 28, 2024, the UN documented at least 4,239 killings and 1,356 injuries, with 92% of the casualties caused by firearms. More than 700 kidnappings were also recorded, all carried out at gunpoint.

Turk pointed to the influx of illicit firearms as a driving force behind the violence. Estimates suggest between 270,000 and 500,000 illegal firearms are circulating in Haiti, most in the hands of gangs.

"These weapons, which are increasingly sophisticated, are not manufactured in Haiti, but consistently flow in from elsewhere," he said.

The crisis deepened in 2023 when gangs launched attacks to force then-Prime Minister Ariel Henry to resign. The power vacuum has worsened security conditions, leaving national forces overwhelmed.

Supporting the Kenyan-led security force

William O’Neill, the UN's human rights expert on Haiti, urged countries to support the Kenyan-led security force that aims to bolster Haiti’s police, calling for additional personnel, helicopters, and vehicles. He also stressed the need to cut off the flow of weapons to gangs.

"The gangs could not survive very long without them," O’Neill warned.

He painted a bleak picture of daily life in Haiti, saying, "The fear is palpable in people's eyes and in their voices. The time for action is now. If we wait much longer, there could be precious little left of Haiti to save."

The worsening crisis underscores the urgent need for international intervention to restore stability and prevent further human suffering in the Caribbean nation.