Port-au-Prince, 25 August 2026 - According to the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), during the second quarter of the year (April–June 2026), at least 1,408 people were killed and 656 others injured.
“These figures show that the population continues to bear an unacceptable toll from violence. Their protection must remain at the heart of all efforts to restore security, particularly for children, women and other people exposed to heightened risks”,stressed the Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Haiti and Head of BINUH, Carlos Ruiz Massieu.
During the second quarter, violence affected the capital unevenly. While security operations helped limit gang activities in some neighbourhoods of Port-au-Prince, such as Delmas and Tabarre, others experienced a surge in violence, particularly as a result of clashes between gangs in areas under their influence, including Cité Soleil and La Plaine du Cul-de-Sac.
Between April and June, extremely violent clashes between rival gangs were documented in the Plaine du Cul-de-Sac and several neighborhoods of Cité Soleil, amid competition for territorial control and access to illicit revenue opportunities. These clashes left 463 people dead and 256 injured as well as at least 176 victims of rapes, a level of violence not documented in these areas of the capital since at least early 2024. They also forced more than 18,000 people to flee their homes, and led to the suspension of all services, including healthcare and education.
Outside the capital, gang violence remained particularly concerning. In the Artibonite department, gangs continued their territorial expansion through indiscriminate attacks on localities, targeting members of self-defence groups and residents inside their homes or in the streets, as well as farmers working in their fields. The situation remained tense in the Centre, notably in Mirebalais and Saut-d’Eau, where gangs continued to have foothold. Gang violence also reached the South-East, where armed raids were documented for the first time, in Séguin.
Overall, gang attacks accounted for 55% of all people killed or injured during the quarter.
Other forms of gang abuse also remained widespread. At least 81 people were kidnapped across the country, up from 57 in the previous quarter, while at least 796 people were victims of gang-related rape, including 772 women and 23 girls, with 87% subjected to gang rape. These victims were subjected to extreme brutality, including severe beatings, rape in front of their children or other family members, and the burning of their homes, as a means of “punishing” and forcibly displacing populations living in areas controlled by rival gangs.
In parallel with gang violence, more than 40% of all people killed or injured during this quarter were documented in the context of security force operations against gangs, sometimes involving a foreign private military company through the use of explosive drones. Of all the victims of security forces operations, at least 95 were not associated with gangs. Among them, nine people, including six children, were killed or injured in explosive drone operations.
The report also documents 14 cases of alleged summary executions or attempted summary executions involving members of the Haitian National Police, representing a significant decrease compared with the same period in 2025.
Lastly, BINUH estimates that approximately 5 per cent of killings and injuries are attributable to self-defence groups targeting gang members, persons accused of collaborating with gangs, or individuals suspected of committing offences.
In view of the severity of the human rights situation, the report emphasizes the importance of keeping Haiti on the international agenda and accelerating the full deployment of the Gang Suppression Force (GSF).
The report also calls on the Haitian authorities to move swiftly on launching their first investigations of the specialized judicial units (Pôles judiciaires spécialisés) for mass crimes, including crimes of sexual violence, and for financial crimes, considering that their premises have been inaugurated by the government, and that prosecutors have been assigned.
The report recalls that all use of lethal force by law enforcement officials, or other actors acting on behalf of the State, must comply with international human rights law and the principles of legality, necessity, proportionality, non-discrimination, precaution and accountability. It also urges for the effective implementation of the police vetting process and bring officers accused of serious human rights violations to justice, while strengthening programmes for the prevention, disengagement and rehabilitation of children involved with gangs.
