Haiti Gang Violence and Displacement Crisis

Haiti’s gang violence crisis remains severe and has deepened into a major humanitarian emergency in 2026. Armed groups continue to control large parts of Port-au-Prince and have expanded violence into other departments, including Artibonite and Centre, using killings, kidnappings, extortion, sexual violence, and attacks on infrastructure to consolidate power and restrict civilian movement. The International Rescue Committee says 6.4 million people are in need of humanitarian support, more than half the country’s population, and the UN-linked Security Council reporting in April 2026 said over 1.45 million people were internally displaced by February 2026. The same reporting notes that recent security operations have intensified violence, with 5,519 people killed and 2,608 injured between 1 March 2025 and 15 January 2026, according to the UN human rights system. The humanitarian consequences remain acute: over half of Haiti’s population faces crisis or worse food insecurity, schools remain widely disrupted, and access to health care, water, and safe transport is severely constrained. HRW reports that criminal groups control around 90% of Port-au-Prince and the metropolitan area, with expansion into previously more secure regions. In April 2026, the UN Security Council was still debating the response as the UN-backed Gang Suppression Force began operations, but civilian risk remains high amid ongoing clashes and weak state capacity. Aid delivery is also constrained by insecurity and underfunding, with the IRC reporting that by the end of 2025 only 24% of needed funding had been secured and that 1.7 million people could be left without critical humanitarian services.