Haiti’s Violence Surges as Security Mission Falls Short.

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One year after the first international security personnel arrived in Haiti, gang violence and human rights abuses have only intensified. The United Nations-authorized Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission, intended to bolster Haiti’s under-resourced police against powerful gangs, has been undermined by persistent shortfalls in troops, funding and equipment. In the past year, at least 2,680 people have been killed and around 1,000 injured amid surging gang warfare, according to UN figures.

The UN has also documented a twelvefold increase in the recruitment of children by criminal groups, alongside a dramatic spike in rapes and sexual violence against children. “Each day, violence forces hundreds of Haitians to flee with nothing but the clothes on their backs,” said Nathalye Cotrino of Human Rights Watch, describing the terror families face from sudden gang attacks. This relentless violence has driven internal displacement in Haiti to unprecedented levels. Nearly 1.3 million people (roughly 11% of the population) have fled their homes, often repeatedly, to escape attacks.

Displaced families cram into improvised camps or the homes of relatives, enduring dire shortages of food, water and basic services. Haiti’s Office of the Ombudsperson has decried the “inhuman” conditions in these makeshift shelters. Humanitarian agencies warn that some 8,400 displaced people are facing famine-like conditions. Yet international relief efforts remain badly under-resourced, only about 8% of the UN’s 2025 humanitarian aid plan for Haiti has been funded, leaving aid operations overstretched. Meanwhile, the multinational security mission meant to restore order has itself been hobbled by lack of support.

Although up to 2,500 personnel were authorized for the MSS, only around 1,000 officers, mostly from Kenya, have actually deployed after one year. Equipment and logistical support are also woefully inadequate, reportedly below 30% of what was planned. These shortfalls leave Haiti’s outgunned police without the backup needed to regain control of gang-dominated areas. Facing this dire situation, calls are growing for more decisive international action.

Human Rights Watch urges UN member states to reinforce the MSS immediately, and has called on the Security Council to end its inaction by transforming the mission into a full-fledged UN peacekeeping operation with a mandate to protect Haitian civilians. The MSS mission’s commander has likewise appealed for additional countries to send personnel and funding as the crisis deepens. “Violence in Haiti is getting worse by the day,” Cotrino warned, imploring governments to wake up before the toll of killings, rapes, kidnappings and child recruitments climbs even higher.

Official Sources:

• Human Rights Watch, 2025. Haiti: Displacement Hits Record as Security Efforts Fall Short. https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/06/25/haiti-displacement-hits-record-as-security-efforts-fall-short 

• Reuters, 2025. A Year in, Haiti Mission Leader Warns Shortfalls in Troops, Funds, Gear. https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/year-haiti-mission-leader-warns-shortfalls-troops-funds-gear-2025-06-26/ 

• World Food Programme, 2025. As Hurricane Season Begins WFP Raises the Alarm on Haiti. https://www.wfp.org/news/hurricane-season-begins-wfp-raises-alarm-haiti

written by Matilde Paganini