Armed gangs now control approximately 90% of Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, and the country is on the brink of a total collapse of state authority, top United Nations officials warned during a Security Council briefing on Wednesday.
Miroslav Jenca, the UN Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia, and the Americas, described an alarming erosion of state power, saying that gang violence now touches nearly every facet of life in the Haitian capital. “We have continued to witness a sharp erosion of state authority and the rule of law,” he said. “Brutal gang violence affects every aspect of public and private life.”
Efforts by local police and the Kenya-led Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) to restore order have so far failed to turn the tide. Jenca stressed that unless the international community acts swiftly, the “total collapse of state presence in the capital could become a very real scenario.”
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has proposed a new UN mission to provide logistical support to the Kenya-led force, warning that the current options will be far less costly and complex than dealing with a full collapse.
Ghada Waly, executive director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), confirmed that the proportion of Port-au-Prince under gang control has surged from 85% to 90%. With the government’s reach retreating, criminal groups are stepping into the power vacuum, establishing parallel systems of governance and offering rudimentary public services.
“Even more disturbing are new allegations of trafficking in persons for the purpose of organ removal,” Waly revealed, citing reports tied to medical facilities in Petion-Ville and northern Haiti.
The country has been mired in chaos since a coordinated gang offensive led to the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry last year. A transitional council, seen as weak and fractured, was installed to oversee governance and organize elections by February 2026, the first since 2016.
With gang rule deepening and state institutions faltering, Haiti faces an unprecedented humanitarian and security crisis that the UN warns could spiral out of control without immediate and reinforced global intervention.
Written By Rodney Mbua
