‘A storm of misery’: UN chief warns Haiti gripped by rape, killings and mass displacement as world turns a blind eye

UNITED NATIONS, Aug 30 — Haiti is enduring a “perfect storm of suffering” while the world largely ignores its plight, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the Security Council yesterday.

“State authority is collapsing as gang violence engulfs Port-au-Prince and spreads beyond, crippling daily life and forcing families to flee,” Guterres said. “Civilians are under siege amid horrific reports of rape and sexual violence. Hospitals and schools are repeatedly attacked. The rule of law has collapsed.”

Yet despite the worsening crisis, he stressed, “Haiti remains shamefully overlooked and severely underfunded.”

His warning came a day after seven nations — including the United States — urged the Security Council to bolster the multinational force tasked with confronting gang violence. More than a year after the Multinational Security Support (MSS) Mission was deployed under Kenya’s leadership, Port-au-Prince remains largely under gang control.

In a joint letter, the US, Canada, El Salvador, Guatemala, Jamaica, Kenya and the Bahamas said the MSS “lacks the resources and capacity” to address the escalating crisis. Of the 2,500 police personnel initially planned, only around 1,000 officers from six countries have been deployed, with Kenya providing more than 700.

During the Security Council session, acting US envoy Dorothy Shea said Washington and Panama were drafting a resolution to establish a Gang Suppression Force and create a UN Support Office. “The next international mission must be properly resourced to hold territory, secure infrastructure, and support the Haitian National Police,” she said, adding that a broader strategy was also needed to disrupt gang financing, arms trafficking and other illicit flows fueling instability.

Haiti has faced political turmoil since the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise. A transitional presidential council, which assumed leadership after Prime Minister Ariel Henry stepped down in 2024, has pledged to hold elections before its mandate ends in February 2026.

According to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, at least 3,141 people were killed in Haiti in the first half of this year alone. — AFP