In Haiti, security forces are intensifying their operations, but the gangs are not giving up. They are adapting their tactics, increasing reprisals against civilians and spreading violence to rural areas, according to the Secretary-General’s latest report.
“What is particularly worrying is the gangs’ ability to adapt their tactics as security operations intensify,” said Carlos Ruiz Massieu, the UN’s top official in Haiti.
Armed groups are increasingly resorting to hostage-taking, intimidation and reprisals against civilians to maintain their territory and challenge state authority.
The attack carried out on 23 and 24 August in Kenscoff, a mountainous town southeast of the capital, Port-au-Prince, illustrates this strategy.
At least 47 people were killed, 22 wounded, and 52 taken hostage, 13 of whom were later freed thanks to local initiatives supported by the UN.
In the West and Artibonite departments, 241 people were killed for allegedly resisting gangs.
Other attacks – notably in Saint-Michel-de-l’Atalaye, Marigot, and Léogâne – indicate a spread of violence into rural areas. Armed groups are also targeting farmland, homes and public infrastructure.
Presidential and legislative elections, initially scheduled for 13 December, have been postponed indefinitely. Haiti has not held national elections since 2016.
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