UN warns Haiti’s gangs growing stronger amid failed embargo
According to the report, gangs have consistently secured weapons and ammunition through illegal shipments, especially from the United States, and through corrupt networks within the Haitian police and officials in the neighboring Dominican Republic.
Armed gangs in Haiti have become more powerful, ruthless, and better equipped despite a United Nations weapons embargo, a new report by UN experts has revealed, painting a grim picture of a country overwhelmed by lawlessness, political void, and a failing security system.
The UN panel monitoring sanctions against Haiti's gangs said the groups now operate with near-total impunity, committing widespread atrocities—including killings, rape, abductions, and massacres—while continuing to expand their territorial control in the absence of an effective government or a strong police force.
The report highlights the deepening insecurity in the Caribbean nation, where the transitional government remains fragile, and no elected president or parliament is in place.
"With the absence of an effective government response, gangs continue to have free reign to conduct attacks with impunity and expand their territorial control," the report said.
The experts attributed this dominance to the gangs’ growing firepower, noting that between October 2024 and February 2025, criminal groups acquired an increasing number of automatic rifles, strengthening their ability to launch coordinated attacks across different regions and outmatch local security forces.
Although the UN Security Council had imposed sanctions on specific gang leaders in 2022 and later expanded these measures to a full arms embargo—with exceptions only for government forces—implementation has been weak. c
These findings come despite the deployment of a multinational security support mission led by Kenya, which the report described as underfunded and ill-equipped to make meaningful progress.
"Gangs will continue to have the upper hand unless stronger international support is provided," the experts warned.
The report places the blame not only on the gangs but also on systemic failures in Haiti’s institutions. Since 2024, violence has surged following the resignation of then-prime minister Ariel Henry after an armed uprising.
Haiti has not held a presidential election since 2016, and its last elected president, Jovenel Moise, was assassinated in 2021.
The transitional council currently in power has been tasked with preparing for elections but has shown little ability to stem the chaos.
Years of poverty, corruption, and natural disasters have left Haiti vulnerable, but the unchecked rise of criminal gangs now threatens to plunge the country into deeper turmoil.
