PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres visited Haiti on Tuesday to witness the escalating crisis due to gang violence. Over 1 in 10 people are now homeless, with the U.N. reporting 2,300 deaths this year and 100 kidnappings. The violence led to 1.5 million displacements, including high-profile abductions such as James Boyard, the Defense Ministry’s cabinet director.
Guterres’ visit followed recent violence in Cité Soleil where more than 30 people were killed, injured, or went missing, per a local human rights group. His convoy passed areas once gang-dominated, showing stark evidence of the chaos left behind: destroyed car dealerships, vacated homes, and bullet-ridden buildings. A tap-tap bus, common in Haiti, went by, its windows similarly marked by violence. Graffiti vilifying the Viv Ansanm gang, notorious for controlling 70% of the capital, dotted the scenery.
During his visit, Guterres saw numerous Haitians living in temporary shelters under large canvases, totalling over 300,000 displaced due to gang-related conflict according to the U.N. International Organization for Migration. Among these are more than 18,000 who fled the Cité Soleil area in May.
“Haiti’s displacement crisis is reaching a more alarming stage,” noted Gregoire Goodstein of the IOM.
Guterres began his trip by visiting the headquarters of a newly established gang-suppression force, approved by the U.N. Security Council in September. This force replaces a previous mission led by Kenyan police, which was insufficiently funded and staffed. Countries like Jamaica, Chad, El Salvador, and Guatemala have provided fewer than 1,000 troops to join this force, which will soon assist Haiti’s National Police and growing Armed Forces. Haitian recruits, men and women, eagerly lined up to join these forces.
The Secretary-General later held a private meeting with Prime Minister Alix Didier-Fils-Aimé, who faces international pressure to organize elections after a prolonged period without a president. Fils-Aimé emphasized the need for security to resume electoral processes and restore governmental order. He urged Guterres to ensure that supporting nations fulfill their commitments to the gang-suppression force.
Guterres also visited a crowded makeshift shelter, once a school, now home to those fleeing violence. Many have lived there for up to four years, after gangs took over areas like Solino, one of Port-au-Prince’s last strongholds. Guterres met privately with female residents, who voiced their concerns regarding privacy and their children’s safety. Over 1,200 people reside in cramped conditions, with only one guaranteed meal daily.
“We’re going to do our best,” assured Guterres amidst the shelter’s grievances.
Tension rose outside when a man vocally demanded the chance to return home, intensifying as security redirected Guterres elsewhere. Wendy Cejour, a resident for a year and a half, expressed hope amid hardship, longing for a return to normalcy despite current conditions.
Just before Guterres arrived, Human Rights Watch issued a letter urging the U.N. to address the violence and underlying human rights abuses. Guterres expressed his deeply felt reactions, stating, “What I saw will not leave me.” He highlighted the daily struggle for survival, noting the severe toll on women and children.