Between October 1st, 2024, and June 30, 2025, at least 1,018 people were killed, 213 others injured, and 620 kidnapped in the Artibonite and Central regions, as well as in Ganthier and Fonds Parisien.

Since October 2024, the escalation of gang violence outside Port-au-Prince has left more than 1,000 dead and forced hundreds of thousands to flee, threatening to destabilize not only Haiti but also other Caribbean countries, a newly released UN human rights report warned.

Published by the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the report details the evolution of gang-related violent incidents between October 2024 and June 2025. It shows that violence has increased sharply in recent months, particularly in the Bas Artibonite and Centre departments, as gangs continue to expand their influence along key routes in the north and centre of the country, as well as towards the Dominican Republic.

"Human rights violations outside Port-au-Prince are intensifying in areas of the country where the state presence is extremely limited. The international community must strengthen its support for the authorities, who bear the primary responsibility for protecting the Haitian population," said Ulrika Richardson, Acting Head of BINUH and United Nations Resident Coordinator.

Between October 1st, 2024, and June 30, 2025, at least 1,018 people were killed, 213 others injured, and 620 kidnapped in the Artibonite and Central regions, as well as in Ganthier and Fonds Parisien, west of the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area, the report states.

During the same period, the total number of murders in Haiti was 4,864. Between January 1st, 2025, and June 30, 2025, at least 3,141 people were killed.

The report notes that the mass shooting in Pont Sondé (Lower Artibonite) in October 2024, which left more than 100 dead https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-43385-haiti-flash-the-partial-death-toll-from-the-pont-sonde-massacre-now-stands-at-115.html , marked a major turning point in the cycle of violence between gangs and so-called "self-defense" groups. Several other massacres followed, causing massive displacement, particularly in the town of Mirebalais (Centre department), which saw more than 100,000 residents flee earlier that year.

Haitian authorities deployed specialized police units, supported by the Multinational Security Support Mission, which helped slow the gangs' advance to some extent. However, due to personnel constraints, they were ultimately unable to maintain control of the recaptured areas.

"The human rights violations and abuses we have documented are further evidence of the urgent need for Haiti and the international community to intervene to end the violence," said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk.

The expansion of gang territorial control poses a major risk of spreading violence and increasing transnational trafficking in arms and human beings, the report states.

Download the full report (PDF in English, 36 pages) : https://www.haitilibre.com/docs/2025-july-artibonite-and-mirebalais-EB-1.pdf

HL/ HaitiLibre