Haiti is teetering on the brink of collapse as a wave of gang violence engulfs the country, the United Nations has warned.
Speaking to the UN Security Council on Monday, the UN’s special representative to Haiti, Maria Isabel Salvador, said the Caribbean nation is approaching the “point of no return,” urging the international community to step in before the situation descends into “total chaos.”
“Gang violence continues to spread to new areas of the country,” Salvador said. “Haitians experience growing vulnerability and increasing skepticism about the state’s ability to respond to their needs.”
The alarm comes as rival armed groups intensify their grip on Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, battling for territory in a deadly power struggle. These gangs routinely engage in extortion, murder, rape, and kidnapping for ransom, with vast swathes of the city now effectively lawless.
The country’s humanitarian crisis is deepening, with cholera outbreaks, rising gender-based violence, and limited access to health care and food worsening the daily struggles of millions. Haiti remains the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere and has endured decades of political instability.
Despite the UN authorizing a multinational force to support Haitian authorities, a Kenyan-led mission has so far deployed only around 1,000 officers from six countries — well below the intended 2,500. The force has struggled to make a significant impact on the armed groups’ operations.
Salvador concluded with a plea: “I urge you to remain engaged and answer the urgent needs of the country and its people.”
