Published on: 2026-08-06
Source: United Nations – Объединенные Нации –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
August 6, 2026 Peace and Security
Armed gangs continue to terrorize the residents of Haiti, “deliberately causing unbearable pain” to people who often simply happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. This was stated in an interview with the UN News Service on the eve of the publication of his new report by the UN human rights expert in this country, William O’Neill. According to the document, in just two districts of the capital, Port-au-Prince, at least 613 people were killed and another 375 were injured over four and a half months, up to July 31.
More than a third of the victims were individuals not connected to gangs, including 111 women and 77 children.
As of today, gangs control most of Port-au-Prince and part of its surrounding areas.
As stated in the report, during the reporting period, more than 176 women and girls aged from 10 to 71 became victims of rapes and gang rapes by alleged gang members, who “often use this as a form of punishment for residents of areas controlled by rival groups.”
In addition, more than 18,000 people were forced to leave their homes.
Mass murders
In a report published by the UN office in Haiti, human rights defenders cite a number of specific cases of violations.
Thus, the gang leader shot two 17-year-old boys, accusing them of passing information to a rival group, and a 71-year-old man was shot after he approached the gang leader to ask for food.
The woman was stopped and interrogated by members of the gang. According to witnesses, she was so scared that she could not utter a word. She was accused of being an informant for the rival group and was executed on the spot.
Seventeen boys aged between 15 and 17 were collectively executed – members of the gang suspected them of working for a rival group. Some of the teenagers were taken to a dump and shot there.
Shortly after the FIFA World Cup match between the Haiti and Scotland national teams on June 13, a crowd of 300 people, including a musical group, headed to one of the neighborhoods where they were attacked by a gang, some of whose militants took positions on the rooftops of houses. At least 61 people were killed and another 20 wounded. Among the dead were at least seven children, the youngest of whom had just turned seven years old.
Widespread sexual violence
The report also presents evidence of widespread sexual violence. For example, five masked men beat a mother of three children with rifle butts at her home, and then raped her in front of her children.
Another woman was raped by a group of armed men. Before that, they set fire to her house, killing her husband and her little daughter who was barely two years old. She was raped in front of her ten-year-old son.
The victims recounted how they were intercepted on the street on their way home, taken to a wooded area, and raped there.
Please note; This information is raw content obtained directly from the information source. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.