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Following a week-long visit to Haiti, United Nations human rights expert William O’Neill has painted a grim picture of the country’s worsening crisis, warning that gang violence is spiraling out of control.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, O’Neill said that gangs now control 85% of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and continue to expand their grip despite the deployment of a multinational UN-backed force led by Kenyan troops working alongside Haiti’s national police.
“These violent criminal groups are extending their hold even beyond the capital,” he said.
O’Neill described the gangs’ brutal tactics, which include killings, rape, arson, and the recruitment of children. They have infiltrated all levels of society, attacking homes, orphanages, schools, hospitals, and places of worship.
He also raised concerns about impunity and corruption, calling them major barriers to dismantling gangs.
“These crimes are committed with the utmost impunity, and sometimes even with the complicity of powerful actors,” he said.
Call for Action Against Gangs and Arms Trafficking
O’Neill urged the Haitian government to make the fight against impunity and corruption a top priority, while ensuring strict compliance with international human rights law.
“No circumstances, however exceptional, can justify the violation of the fundamental right to life,” he emphasized.
He also called on neighboring countries, particularly the United States, to do more to stop the flow of illegal arms into Haiti, as most of the country’s illegal weapons originate from the U.S..
“There is not a day to lose. There is no alternative. Haiti’s survival is at stake.”
A Country in Crisis
The United Nations reports that more than 5,600 people were killed in Haiti last year, while gang violence has displaced over one million people in recent years.
With no clear solution in sight, O’Neill’s warning underscores the urgency of international intervention to prevent Haiti’s total collapse.
