UN: Nearly 6,000 dead and more than 2,700 injured due to violence in Haiti in 2025

Port-au-Prince.- At least 5,915 people died and another 2,708 were injured in Haiti in 2025 due to gang violence and operations by security forces to combat it, the UN office for the Caribbean country announced this Friday, which warned that the human rights situation "continues to be extremely worrying." The report by the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (Binuh) also detailed that at least 1,523 people died and another 806 were injured between October and December of last year. More than 62% of the people killed or injured during the last quarter "were affected during operations by security forces, in some cases with the support of a private military company using drones", according to Binuh. For their part, gangs caused 32% of the victims, while self-defense groups caused 6%. Men make up 85% of the victims, compared to women (12%) and children (3%).

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«Serious human rights abuses»

According to Binuh, in the fourth quarter of 2025 "gangs failed to expand their territorial control in the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince (capital of Haiti), in particular due to law enforcement operations." However, despite this, in the areas under their control in the capital, the gangs "continued to commit serious human rights abuses, such as targeted killings, kidnappings, extortion, and destruction of property, as well as the trafficking of minors for exploitation and participation in criminal activities". In addition, in rural areas on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince, gangs perpetrated "indiscriminate" attacks against several localities to consolidate and expand their control of the territory.

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Sexual Violence and Kidnappings in Haiti

The gang members "continued their tactic of using sexual violence, in particular gang rape, as a weapon against the population, whether during house raids or while the victims were moving through the streets," detailed Binuh in the press release accompanying the report. Thus, in 2025, 1,753 cases of sexual violence perpetrated by gangs were documented.

During the last quarter alone, the United Nations Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Arrangement (MARA) documented more than 301 victims of sexual violence, mainly women and girls, some of whom were barely ten years old.

Of them, at least five victims were murdered after being raped.

Kidnapping for Ransom

In addition, from October to December at least 156 people were kidnapped by gangs in order to obtain a ransom, with a total of at least 647 kidnappings documented in 2025. Likewise, Binuh also denounced the trafficking of children by gangs for exploitation and participation in criminal activities.

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"These children are forced to participate in violent activities, such as kidnappings and murders, which, in addition to directly involving them in criminal acts, exposes them from a very early age to repeated violence that can cause them serious long-term trauma," detailed the United Nations Office in its report. Among other recommendations addressed to the Haitian government, Binuh demanded to "accelerate the establishment of a program for the prevention, separation, and rehabilitation of minors involved in gangs." The UN Office also asked to "keep Haiti on the international agenda and provide adequate financial and human support to ensure the full deployment of the Gang Suppression Force (GSF)", as well as to continue updating the list of individuals and entities subject to sanctions for undermining human rights.