**United Nations, United States (AFP)**— Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, risks being overrun by criminal gangs unless the international community increases support for a United Nations-backed security mission, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned in a report on Wednesday.
Guterres called for more funding, equipment, and personnel for the Kenya-led force, cautioning that further delays could lead to the “catastrophic” collapse of Haiti’s security institutions, leaving gangs to seize control of the entire metropolitan area.
The mission, approved by the UN Security Council in October 2023, aims to bolster Haiti’s fight against gang violence. However, only 800 of the intended 2,500 police officers have been deployed, significantly limiting its effectiveness, Guterres noted.
“Time is of the essence,” he wrote, expressing horror at the escalating violence inflicted on communities by armed gangs.
In 2024 alone, gang violence claimed at least 5,601 lives—1,000 more than in 2023—and displaced over a million Haitians, tripling the number of those forced to flee their homes compared to the previous year, according to UN data.
Guterres also highlighted political instability as a key factor enabling the violence. Haiti currently lacks a president or parliament and is governed by a transitional body grappling with the intertwined crises of gang violence, poverty, and institutional dysfunction.
Without urgent international action, Guterres warned, the situation could spiral further out of control.
