Photo of gang members operating in the capital, available on the internet
The year 2025 marked a dramatic turning point for Haiti. Between repeated massacres, the territorial expansion of gangs, massive displacement of populations and aggravation of food insecurity, the country is sinking into a major security and humanitarian crisis. According to the United Nations, UNIH, IOM and CNSA, thousands of deaths have been recorded, more than one million people have fled their homes and more than half of the population are facing hunger, while armed violence is gaining new departments.
The violence of armed gangs reached alarming levels in 2025. According to United Nations data, at least 2,680 people were killed between 1 January and 30 May 2025, including 54 children. The death toll increased further in the following months: 3,141 deaths were recorded between January and June 2025.
The United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (UNIH) reports that between October 2024 and June 2025, at least 4,864 people lost their lives, illustrating a continuous and structural violence that extends far beyond the capital.
Territorial gang expansion
For a long time concentrated in the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince, violence has gradually spread to the departments of the Centre and Artibonite, once considered relatively spared. According to UN agencies, gangs now control approximately 85 per cent of Port-au-Prince and its metropolitan area, imposing their laws through targeted assassinations, abductions, extortion and attacks.
This territorial right-of-way severely restricts state action, paralyses economic activities and prevents secure access to basic services.
Attacks even targeting places of worship
Recent violence illustrates the degree of brutality achieved. On 15 December 2025, at least six people were murdered in Bois Bélangé during an armed attack. On the same day, armed men opened fire on an active church, killing at least one, according to Franceinfo.
These attacks on civilians and places of worship reinforce the widespread sense of terror among the population.
Massive and incessant displacement
The security crisis causes an internal exodus of historical magnitude. At the end of September 2025, 1.4 million people were internally displaced, or about 12 per cent of the Haitian population, according to data provided by Franceinfo.
In November 2025 alone, almost 9,000 people fled violence in the departments of Artibonite and West, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), in a note consulted by AlterPresse.
Unbearable humanitarian pressure
IOM warns about the saturation of already overcrowded housing sites and the increasing pressure on host communities. These massive displacements lead to a significant increase in humanitarian needs, even though funding remains largely insufficient.
The organisation stresses that many displaced persons are deprived of vital support, jeopardizing any prospect of lasting solutions.
To this already critical situation are added the consequences of Hurricane Melissa, which struck the country at the end of October 2025. Thousands of affected households are still struggling to rebuild, owing to lack of adequate resources and assistance, increasing the vulnerability of populations already displaced by armed violence.
Food insecurity reaches critical threshold
According to the latest analysis of the Integrated Food Security Classification Framework (IPC), published in October 2025 by the National Coordination of Food Security (CNSA), about 51 per cent of the Haitian population is in a situation of acute food insecurity.
CNSA warned that the situation could deteriorate further between March and June 2026, with a rate of up to 53 per cent of the population, owing to continued insecurity, forced displacement and weak agricultural production.
Forced returns and increased vulnerabilities
At the same time, Haiti faces an influx of evicted persons. According to IOM, nearly 22,000 Haitian migrants and migrants·do not·s have been expelled·e·s to the country in November 2025, increasing the ranks of vulnerable populations, often without shelter or livelihoods.
The combination of armed violence, mass displacement, natural disasters and food insecurity places Haiti on the brink of a humanitarian collapse. International organizations agree that, without an urgent strengthening of security, a better funded humanitarian response and lasting political solutions, the situation will continue to deteriorate in 2026.
W.A.
