UN Warns of an Imminent Collapse in Haiti

The United Nations Security Council meets to discuss the current humanitarian situation in Haiti. Credit: UN Photo/Evan Schneider

By Oritro Karim
UNITED NATIONS, Apr 24 2025 (IPS)

As gang violence in Haiti continues to target civilians and critical infrastructures, humanitarian organizations and the Haitian National Police (HNP) have found it increasingly difficult to manage the growing scale of needs. The United Nations (UN) and its partners fear that Haiti will approach a nationwide collapse due to numerous shortfalls in funding, a widespread lack of essential resources, and rampant insecurity.

On April 21, UN Special Representative María Isabel Salvador briefed spoke before the Security Council on the “deliberate and coordinated” campaign being used by armed coalitions to expand control in the nation’s capital, Port-Au-Prince.

“They targeted Kenscoff, the last road out of Port-au-Prince not fully under gang control, and advanced simultaneously into Delmas, downtown Port-au-Prince, and Pétion-Ville—areas previously spared—deepening the city’s destabilization,” said Salvador.

According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), approximately 90 percent of Port-Au-Prince is controlled by gangs, with only 10 percent remaining under governmental jurisdiction. From late January to early March 2025, roughly 262 people were killed and 66 were injured in Kenscoff and Carrefour, two communes in the capital’s south. In late March and early April, over 80 people were killed in Mirebalais and Saut-d’Eau.

“The magnitude of the violence has sown panic among the population,” said Salvador. “We are approaching a point of no return. Without timely and decisive international support, the violence will continue to escalate, and Haiti could face total collapse.”

Additionally, sexual violence propagated by gang members remains pervasive in Haiti, particularly in Port-Au-Prince. Executions and kidnappings are also regular occurrences that are reported on almost daily, according to HRW. Increased rates of child recruitment have become alarmingly apparent as over 50 percent of gang personnel are young children.

As a result of escalating gang violence, many civilians and law enforcement personnel have formed “self defense groups” in the objective of quelling insecurity in collusion. This has led to brutal clashes between these self defense groups and gang members which has only increased the overall insecurity and exacerbated rates of displacement. According to figures from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), over 90,000 people have been forced to flee their homes since January 2025.

“People no longer have a safe place to flee to,” one aid worker told HRW. “Women who come here seeking help have not only lost loved ones, but have also been raped, displaced and left on the streets, starving and struggling to survive. We don’t know how much longer they can endure such suffering … All [victims] ask is for the violence to stop. With no support from the police or government, they feel abandoned. They ask, ‘Why is no one helping us? Why do Haitian lives not matter if we are human too?’”

Essential services, such as healthcare, education, and access to safe food and water, are critically limited as security issues impede mobility and gaps in funding widen. The UN reports that over 900 schools and 39 medical facilities have shut down due to gang activity. Shelter, sanitation, and protection services are lacking significantly in displacement camps. With cholera outbreaks and rates of gender-based violence spreading rapidly in the most crisis-affected areas of the nation, it is imperative for the international community and humanitarian organizations to scale up their responses.

Port-Au-Prince’s St. Damien Hospital is the only pediatric hospital in Haiti that offers full-scale services, assisting families with childhood cancer treatments, maternal care, and a host of other health issues, acting as a lifeline for Haitian communities near the capital. However, funding shortfalls and increased insecurity have complicated life-saving efforts.

“Solidarity knows no borders. If people outside help us, it means we are not alone in facing these challenges,” said Dr. Pascale Gassant of the St. Damien Hospital. “We are determined. Every day, we risk our lives. But we need help…Despite the insecurity, we must continue our mission for children and mothers.”

According to the latest food security situation update from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), roughly 5.7 million people, which is more than half of Haiti’s population, are projected to face “high levels” of acute food insecurity through June. Of this 5.7 million, over 2 million are projected to experience emergency level hunger (IPC Phase 4) and 8,400 people living within displacement shelters are projected to face catastrophic hunger (IPC Phase 5).

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned that the hunger crisis is expected to hit children particularly hard, with roughly 2.85 million children, or 25 percent of the entire child population, facing high levels of food insecurity and acute malnutrition.

“We are looking at a scenario where parents can no longer provide care and nutrition to their children as a result of ongoing violence, extreme poverty, and a persistent economic crisis,” said Geeta Narayan, UNICEF’s Representative in Haiti. “Life-saving actions, such as screening children at risk for wasting and stunting, and ensuring malnourished children have access to therapeutic treatment, are needed now to save children’s lives.”

Many humanitarian organizations have agreed that the window to tackle the crisis in Haiti is closing. With the Kenyan-led contingency mission of 1,000 police officers having failed to protect civilians and dispose of gang members, it has become apparent that it will require much more funding and personnel to achieve progress.

According to the International Crisis Group, major gaps in the Haitian governmental structure have allowed for gangs to take power. Since these gangs have taken advantage of rampant political instability that has persisted in Haiti for decades, it is imperative for the Haitian Transitional Government to focus on handling responsible governance, violence, impunity, and corruption, rather than “rushing toward elections.”

IPS UN Bureau Report