UN chief Guterres visits Haiti as gang violence surges
Summary
UN Secretary-General António Guterres visited Haiti, where gang violence has caused over 2,300 deaths and forced 1.5 million people to leave their homes this year. Guterres met with local leaders and troops from an international gang-suppression force working to improve security in the capital, Port-au-Prince.Key Facts
- More than 2,300 people have been killed and 100 kidnapped in Haiti so far in 2026 due to gang violence.
- About 1.5 million Haitians, or more than 1 in 10 people, have fled their homes because of the violence.
- James Boyard, a senior official from the Defense Ministry, was kidnapped last week.
- The gang network called Viv Ansanm controls about 70% of Port-au-Prince and is labeled a terrorist group by the US government.
- Over 300,000 people have been displaced just in Port-au-Prince, including 18,000 who fled the Cité Soleil slum in May.
- The UN approved a new international gang-suppression force that includes troops from Jamaica, Chad, El Salvador, and Guatemala, with fewer than 1,000 soldiers currently deployed.
- The gang-suppression force will cooperate with Haiti’s National Police and Armed Forces to improve security before planned national elections.
- Haiti has been without a president since the assassination of Jovenel Moïse in July 2021; the current government aims to restore order and hold elections.
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