Haiti's gang war

Why is there a gang war in Haiti?

Haiti has not held elections since 2016. On July 7, 2021, gunmen assassinated President Jovenel Moïse at his home. No president has served since. Gangs grew during years of political crisis, weak policing and poverty. Haiti is the poorest country in the Americas, and its economy has shrunk every year since 2019.

The gangs are rooted in neighborhoods. They tax road traffic, extort businesses and control markets. Some of their leaders, including Jimmy Chérizier, are former police officers. A UN panel of experts found that Haitian politicians and business figures have financed and armed gangs. The UN, the United States and Canada have sanctioned several of those accused, who deny it.

On February 29, 2024, the Viv Ansanm coalition launched coordinated attacks across Port-au-Prince. In early March, gangs freed more than 4,700 prisoners from two prisons. Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who was abroad, agreed to resign. A nine-member Transitional Presidential Council took over in April 2024. In November 2024 it named Alix Didier Fils-Aimé prime minister. The council's mandate ended on February 7, 2026, and Fils-Aimé now governs as sole head of the executive.

The electoral council set a first round of elections for December 13, 2026. In early October it suspended the campaign. On October 28 it moved the first round to July 18, 2027, with a second round on October 4, 2027.

How many people have been killed?

BINUH, the UN's office in Haiti, counts the dead each quarter. It recorded at least 5,601 people killed in 2024 and at least 5,915 in 2025. In the first half of 2026, BINUH counted at least 3,050 dead: 1,642 in the first quarter and 1,408 in the second.

Security operations against the gangs caused most of the recent deaths. The UN human rights office counted at least 5,519 people killed from March 2025 to mid-January 2026. Operations by the security forces killed at least 3,497 of them, gang violence at least 1,424, and self-defense groups at least 598.

A government task force uses armed drones, with support from Erik Prince's company Vectus Global. Human Rights Watch counted at least 1,243 people killed in 141 drone operations between March 1, 2025, and January 21, 2026. At least 43 adults and 17 children among them were reportedly not gang members. Human Rights Watch said some strikes appear to be extrajudicial killings. Haiti's government did not respond.

Gangs also carry out mass killings. In October 2024, Gran Grif gunmen killed at least 70 people in Pont-Sondé, in the Artibonite valley, according to the UN. Local officials later counted 115. In August 2026, gangs killed at least 47 people in Kenscoff, in the hills above Port-au-Prince.

How many people have fled?

The International Organization for Migration counted nearly 1.5 million people displaced inside Haiti in September 2026. About 80% of them are outside the Port-au-Prince area, because the violence has spread to rural areas. The Artibonite department saw the sharpest rise in displacement between May and August 2026.

Hundreds of thousands live in informal camps and shelters. The IPC found in April 2026 that 5.8 million Haitians, 52% of the population, face acute hunger. The UN's 2026 humanitarian plan for Haiti asks for $880 million.

Haitians also flee abroad, and many are sent back. The Dominican Republic, which shares the island, deported about 370,000 Haitians in 2025. After a Supreme Court ruling in June 2026, the United States ended the temporary protected status of more than 300,000 Haitians. US deportation flights now land in Cap-Haïtien.

Who is fighting the gangs?

The UN Security Council authorized a multinational mission in October 2023. Kenya led it, as the Multinational Security Support mission (MSS), from June 2024. In September 2025 the Security Council replaced it with the Gang Suppression Force, a larger force authorized to have 5,550 personnel. Its first troops arrived in April 2026, and the last Kenyan police left that month.

On October 12, 2026, the force had about 1,563 personnel from Chad, Guatemala, Jamaica, El Salvador, Mongolia and Sri Lanka, according to the UN. An advance team of 50 Bangladeshi soldiers left for Haiti on October 15, 2026. The United States sends no troops but is the force's leading funder. On September 29, 2026, the Security Council renewed the force's mandate for six months, to March 31, 2027. China, Pakistan and Russia abstained.

On October 18, 2026, gangs ambushed a Gang Suppression Force armored vehicle in Croix-des-Bouquets, near Port-au-Prince. Four Salvadoran air force technicians went missing. President Nayib Bukele said the gangs were holding them and denied reports that their bodies had been found. On October 28 El Salvador said it had sent more than 2,000 troops to Haiti. They operate outside the Gang Suppression Force's command.